What would you do if you knew you could not fail? What goes through your mind, what are the words you tell yourself? How do you feel about yourself?
Quietly think that over to yourself right now.
Many people I speak to are constantly limiting their own performance through self doubt, lack of self respect and by choosing to believe the worst from others.
See if any of these thoughts are familiar:
- I will try but I will likely fail
- I am clumsy
- I am bad at ______. I can’t do ________. They are so much better than me.
- Just my luck. Knowing my luck ….
- I’ll give it a shot and if I am not good right away I will try something else.
- There are others so much more deserving.
- Money is bad.
- It’s greedy to want things for myself.
- I’m unattractive.
- People say bad things behind my back.
- They don’t really like me.
- They are laughing at me not with me.
- If I speak up I will look foolish, better to keep quiet.
- Oh no, don’t look this way, I will blush.
- I’m so dumb, any fool would know this stuff better than me.
I am happy to tell you that I have been there. Most of us will think badly of ourselves at some point. This is fine, providing we don’t make a habit of it.
The key is to manage your own thoughts the best you can.
Picture your subconscious mind as a super computer. It is extremely powerful, but programming it is simplistic. There are no error-correcting routines, what you put into it gets processed exactly as you command.
Think about it. Go over the programming you are feeding your brain.
What instructions have you been giving your super computer?
- Can’t?
- Dumb?
- Unattractive?
- Bad luck?
- No point?
Consider each negative as a hand-brake, or at worse as sabotage.
“I am going to consciously try to jump this chasm but here is a program I want you to run so that you will make me fall half way across thus confirming my worst self-assessment.”
Don’t think about elephants. Don’t think about the elephants big floppy ears and long trunk. Try very hard to not think about the elephant. Are you not thinking about the elephant? What about now, can you not imagine the elephant?
Our minds have trouble not thinking about a subject. The only way to defeat these self-limiting thoughts is to insert new programming. Positive, constructive thoughts.
- I can, I will, it is possible for me, I am lucky
- People say nice things about me, I am popular
- I’m worthy, I deserve good things, because I am a good person
- Anything is possible for me
While thinking about good things for yourself, consider the words you use when dealing with others. What do you say to your friends? Your children?
Are you offering support, encouragement, constructive and nurturing thoughts, or do you condemn, diminish and mock?
We are responsible for our words. By managing what we think and say we can achieve more for ourselves and cause less harm to others. Make it your mission just for today to think, say and write only constructively. See what positive difference you can make.