johnthesearcher
New Member
Discipline is doing the things we need to do until they become.....habit!
'Tell me, and I will forget. Show me, and I may remember. Involve me, and I will understand.’
These famous words from Confucius date back to 450BC, but are equally relevant in today’s fast moving and difficult business environment.
Sometimes getting people to keep a positive frame of mind is almost impossible especially when every time we turn on the tv or read a paper, lately the news fills us with negativity ......... oh no......not again!
Getting my friends and business colleagues to always keep a positive frame of mind is like 'trying to herd cats' I mean sheep and cows are easy.....but cats are more difficult. (not impossible though)
Regular logging in to the Scottish Business Forums helps me ......how about you?
The inspiration for this post came from my own issues with self-talk. I used to be constantly defeated simply by telling myself that I couldn't do something or criticizing myself for something I'd already done, or failed to do.
Talking or thinking negatively about yourself can have a profound impact. You may not realize it, but the stress you add to your life by speaking negatively internally (mind chatter) is more a matter of self perception rather than reality.
I created a web of self-rejection that I sometimes felt was impossible to overcome.
But, if you'll bear with me, I would like to share some tips I've found that can maybe help change the way we think (and talk) to help achieve the things we've been telling ourselves we can't.
One thing to keep in mind is that the brain is a powerful organ. When we tell ourselves, "I can't handle this" or "this task is going to be difficult," more often than not, we produce exactly these results. To train your mind to start thinking differently, analyze the reasons you could be saying these things to yourself.
Consider using these questions as a starting off point:
Are there any other ways that I could look at this situation?
What else could this mean?
If I were being positive, how would I perceive this situation?
Is this situation as bad as I am making it out to be?
What is the worst thing that could happen? How likely is it?
What is the best thing that could happen?
What is most likely to happen?
Is there anything good about this situation?
Will this matter in five years time?
Does it matter at all?
Each time you find yourself feeling overwhelmed with the negative things you're telling yourself, refer to these questions (analyze by all means.....but not until you paralyze)
Allow your brain to become logically charged rather than emotionally.
Whether you're speaking to someone else and calling yourself an idiot for doing something or whether you're criticizing yourself internally, both are forms of negative self-talk. The confirmation of our self-worth needs to come from within.
If you've made a mistake, or double booked an appointment, or lost some important paperwork, or overspent your monthly budget or whatever you give yourself a hard time about.......'let it go' don't spend the rest of the day telling yourself how stupid you are or keep beating yourself up about it, just turn it around into something positive by honest assessment of the situation.
"Next time, I'll double check to make sure there are no mistakes."
"I'm going to design a new filing system or keep a more updated diary"
Just resign yourself to do whatever it takes to get better at the things you think you're no good at. Easier said than done, but it only takes practice.
Something that I've found very useful in learning to change the way I think is to run through the event in my mind and project the exact outcome I want.
If you perceive something to be awful, it probably will seem that way. So how about fooling yourself into liking it? We might dread going to the gym because we know we're going to sweat and be sore, all the while knowing it's necessary for our health. This makes it incredibly difficult to ever maintain a successful workout routine.
The same can be said in our business. We might dread the fact that we've got a huge proposal to be done by the end of the day, making it difficult to even get out of bed. But, try focusing on all the amazing things that will result from this proposal. You'll be energized to get the proposal done and perpetuate the great things that are going to happen because of it.
At the risk of sounding cliché, we really do control our own destiny. There will always be factors beyond our control, but it's how you perceive them and then deal with them that determine your attitude.
Next time something happens when you least expect it.....say out loud 'Isn't that interesting?' then move on.
Don't stifle your success by the way you think.
Closing with a nod to Phil Knight of NIKE.....who said 'Just do it!'
John
'Tell me, and I will forget. Show me, and I may remember. Involve me, and I will understand.’
These famous words from Confucius date back to 450BC, but are equally relevant in today’s fast moving and difficult business environment.
Sometimes getting people to keep a positive frame of mind is almost impossible especially when every time we turn on the tv or read a paper, lately the news fills us with negativity ......... oh no......not again!
Getting my friends and business colleagues to always keep a positive frame of mind is like 'trying to herd cats' I mean sheep and cows are easy.....but cats are more difficult. (not impossible though)
Regular logging in to the Scottish Business Forums helps me ......how about you?
The inspiration for this post came from my own issues with self-talk. I used to be constantly defeated simply by telling myself that I couldn't do something or criticizing myself for something I'd already done, or failed to do.
Talking or thinking negatively about yourself can have a profound impact. You may not realize it, but the stress you add to your life by speaking negatively internally (mind chatter) is more a matter of self perception rather than reality.
I created a web of self-rejection that I sometimes felt was impossible to overcome.
But, if you'll bear with me, I would like to share some tips I've found that can maybe help change the way we think (and talk) to help achieve the things we've been telling ourselves we can't.
One thing to keep in mind is that the brain is a powerful organ. When we tell ourselves, "I can't handle this" or "this task is going to be difficult," more often than not, we produce exactly these results. To train your mind to start thinking differently, analyze the reasons you could be saying these things to yourself.
Consider using these questions as a starting off point:
Are there any other ways that I could look at this situation?
What else could this mean?
If I were being positive, how would I perceive this situation?
Is this situation as bad as I am making it out to be?
What is the worst thing that could happen? How likely is it?
What is the best thing that could happen?
What is most likely to happen?
Is there anything good about this situation?
Will this matter in five years time?
Does it matter at all?
Each time you find yourself feeling overwhelmed with the negative things you're telling yourself, refer to these questions (analyze by all means.....but not until you paralyze)
Allow your brain to become logically charged rather than emotionally.
Whether you're speaking to someone else and calling yourself an idiot for doing something or whether you're criticizing yourself internally, both are forms of negative self-talk. The confirmation of our self-worth needs to come from within.
If you've made a mistake, or double booked an appointment, or lost some important paperwork, or overspent your monthly budget or whatever you give yourself a hard time about.......'let it go' don't spend the rest of the day telling yourself how stupid you are or keep beating yourself up about it, just turn it around into something positive by honest assessment of the situation.
"Next time, I'll double check to make sure there are no mistakes."
"I'm going to design a new filing system or keep a more updated diary"
Just resign yourself to do whatever it takes to get better at the things you think you're no good at. Easier said than done, but it only takes practice.
Something that I've found very useful in learning to change the way I think is to run through the event in my mind and project the exact outcome I want.
If you perceive something to be awful, it probably will seem that way. So how about fooling yourself into liking it? We might dread going to the gym because we know we're going to sweat and be sore, all the while knowing it's necessary for our health. This makes it incredibly difficult to ever maintain a successful workout routine.
The same can be said in our business. We might dread the fact that we've got a huge proposal to be done by the end of the day, making it difficult to even get out of bed. But, try focusing on all the amazing things that will result from this proposal. You'll be energized to get the proposal done and perpetuate the great things that are going to happen because of it.
At the risk of sounding cliché, we really do control our own destiny. There will always be factors beyond our control, but it's how you perceive them and then deal with them that determine your attitude.
Next time something happens when you least expect it.....say out loud 'Isn't that interesting?' then move on.
Don't stifle your success by the way you think.
Closing with a nod to Phil Knight of NIKE.....who said 'Just do it!'
John
