Leadership and professional development: your self-talk matters, part 2
In our first blog on self-talk, we discussed the National Science Foundation study that reported out of your 60-80,000 daily internal thoughts, approximately 80% are negative. To decrease that percentage, you were given the assignment of recording your negative thoughts on paper; making note of the quantity of negative thoughts you catch and the dialogue you hear in your head. If you have not completed that step, please do so prior to moving forward with this work.
Apply professional coaching techniques to your self-talk
For those who are ready, step two is upon us. Once you understand the negative thoughts you are having, it is time to stop them. There are several methods that can be effective. Two highly effective ones are to:
Write down your negative thoughts
The National Science Foundation proposes that it can be effective to write down your thoughts and simply throw them away. Over time, the exercise of writing them down and watching yourself toss them in the trash can help to eliminate them altogether.
Use the STOP method.
The first step is to be aware of the thought as it is happening. Once you have immediate awareness:
Visualize a STOP sign in your mind’s eye.
Tell yourself to STOP that thought and then immediately replace the thought with three other POSITIVE thoughts that negate it.
As an example, you are starting a new project at work and your first thought is “I will never be able to do this”. STOP yourself and state in your head, “I will accomplish this project with EASE. I can handle any project like this. My leader believes in my ability and so do I.”
Many people I’ve coached have found it effective to write their thoughts out on paper following the negative thought or even saying it all out loud to yourself if you are in a private area. All these options work well. It is important to use the 3 to 1 positive to negative ratio to not only eliminate the negative thought but to truly bury it under positivity.
The next part of the Self-Talk series will help you continue your focus to eliminate the negative thoughts and help you find ways to increase your own positive internal dialogue to propel your leadership and professional development forward.
As always, my mission is to create a positive impact in your life. Please reach out if I can help you take that next step in your leadership journey.
Here’s to your growth and success!
Lori