Internal Dialogue.
When’s the last time you had a really great conversation, with yourself?
Every one of us has one going 24/7.
- Today is going to be a great day. Good breakfast and I’m pumped up to do big things.
- I think I did really great in that presentation and I love our solution. I feel great about the rest of the day.
- Dressed for success and a good hair day…BIG things happening.
- Why was that guy such a d*ck on the phone? Opportunity DEAD.
- Should I buy that stock today, or wait? Probably wait…remember the last time you waited. Dummy!
- Why isn’t this deal going the way I want. I deserve more. Do I though? Nothings really changed. Maybe I’m the reason…
- I haven’t heard from Joe. I wonder if he’s happy? You know what, he’s probably looking for another job. I don’t want him to leave (FYI – Joe is fictional in this scenario if you’re all wondering)
- I wonder if I’m being aggressive enough in pursuit of my dreams. But I don’t want to be greedy. But, action always beats inaction.
- Eewwwww…feel that? Is that indigestion or something else. Oh, its probably bad. Damnit, I don’t want to be sick and have my stomach bother me NOW. What if something bad happens to me?
- I need to be in better shape like right now (200 pushups and 500 sit ups ensue)
- Who can I help today? Somebody has to need something out there.
- Should I go to the World Series?
- I need to get this post up on my blog about self talk
HERE WE ARE!
The more I consume via books, podcasts, and videos, the more I’m completely vested in the idea our thoughts control our outcomes. But you must be saying, how do I learn to control my thoughts?
Sometimes all it takes is saying something out loud to see it more clearly. Good or bad. Clarity is needed.
Our thoughts do a very funny thing the moment they meet oxygen. The second self talk comes through your brain, travels out your mouth and mixes with oxygen, it turns from something extremely complex, to a simplified thought. It also becomes real. Your thought strides confidently without the cloak of hundreds of feelings and “what-if” scenarios attached.
I’ve literally struggled with a problem for what seemed like weeks, but when I decided to talk to myself the solution became evident and laughable.
Obvious would be a good way to put it.
There it is. The thought. Naked and out in the open as the day we were all born. See your thought for exactly what it is, but don’t see it for more, or ever worse than it is. Now make a decision about how to handle it.
Internal dialogue that stays internal will run the gamut of your brain’s capabilities. That same brain and human body are designed to find problems. It’s 2,000+ years of hard wiring unwilling to change. So why fight it?
Talk to yourself out loud.
If you think you’ll look weird, you will if you’re doing it in the middle of the mall, rocking on a bench with your hands over your face.
Don’t do that.
Instead do it in your car. Do it while you’re on a run, or mowing the lawn. Find somewhere private or some alone time to talk to yourself. You’ll feel better and the future will be more clear.
ACTION ITEM: Talk about your fears, your anxieties, your goals and your dreams. Let the air hit them and hear your thoughts out loud. Make it a habit to talk to yourself more often!
Bonus – After I finished this post, I was doing some image searching and stumbled across a few reads I thought you might find interesting related to this topic.
- http://spiritualityhealth.com/articles/9-surprising-benefits-talking-yourself
- http://www.today.com/health/talk-yourself-out-loud-here-s-why-experts-say-s-t76531
- http://elitedaily.com/life/culture/people-talk-to-themselves/1105688/
