How do you talk to and about yourself? Are you lazy, a procrastinator, an idiot, fat, ugly, stupid, lame, a bitch, out of shape? Is this what you tell yourself? What you’ve told yourself in the past? Well, stop it. I mean it. STOP IT. You’re actually creating an environment that stifles growth and you’re teaching your brain (unconsciously) that you are these things. Never underestimate the power of labeling. You are what you think. SO, what are you thinking (about yourself)?
I’m hard on myself because I always (ALWAYS) think I can do better. I think that if I tell myself I’m bad at xyz that will force me to work harder. But here’s the funny thing, the harder I am on myself, the meaner I am, the trickier it gets to accomplish stuff. It’s like Tony LeRoy once told me, “how you gonna expand when you keep coming from a place of contraction.” So women, men, stop it. Be kind to yourself. We’re all too young to be this hard on ourselves. And if that doesn’t convince you, how about this from Positively Positive: “Countless studies have shown that once a person is given a trait label like ‘generous,’ ‘shy,’ or ‘creative,’ they begin behaving in a manner consistent with that label, even if they have rarely done so in the past. Tell a typically reserved person that a test has scored them high on ‘extroversion,’ and just watch them start talking up a storm, without even realizing that their behavior has changed. When we are given a label, we tend to believe it. Once you’ve decided you are ‘a procrastinator,’ your brain, on an unconscious level, will believe you. And, unconsciously, you will act accordingly. Like any other self-fulfilling prophecy, you will keep on procrastinating to conform to the identity you’ve given yourself.”
Remember we are what we think. So think highly of yourself. You’re all you’ve got. Start giving yourself a little love. Do this No Mean Words challenge with me for a month. Let’s see if we can change the way we see ourselves… for the better. Let’s be impeccable in the way we think and speak (especially about and to ourselves).
