A little boy came home from school and seemed troubled.

His father sensing something was wrong asked his son what was the matter?

His son responded, I think I flunked the math test today. The father responded quickly that he needed to be more positive. His son quipped back, I’m POSITIVE I flunked the math test.

Sometimes our days and thoughts are like this.

You are your most important critic. There is no opinion as vitally important to your well-being as the opinion you have of yourself. The mental picture of your self is the key.

You are the writer, director and star of either an Oscar winning epic or a Grade B movie. Your choice = Your Self Image.

You can devastate your self-esteem and creativity with sarcastic and negative reviews or your daily performance. Or you could encourage yourself through positive feedback and positive self-talk. Your mind is recording and monitoring, minute by minute, what you communicate to yourself, Positive or Negative.

Below are some examples of negative self-talk that many people engage in while they’re thinking and talking to themselves. Remember, everything we do is a habit that we have developed whether good or bad.

“There aren’t enough hours in the day.”
“I blew it again.”
“I can’t help it, that’s the way I am.”
“Someday I’ll.”
“There’s too much to do.”
“It’s going to be one of those days.”
“Things are changing too fast and I can’t keep up.”
“I’ll never get the hang of this Social Media thing.”
“I wish….”
“I can’t remember names.”
“Ill never make it happen.”
“I’m too old.”
“I’m too young.”
“I’ll never make it.
“He (or she) always gets the breaks.”

Be honest with yourself…do any of these resonate with you?

Would you accept such a chorus of negativity about you from anybody else?

Then why listen to it from yourself?

Turning Negatives into Positives

1. Decide that you’re going to replace your negative self-talk with positive thoughts.

You can do this, first by becoming aware of your negative self-talk, and then by making a conscious decision to turn it around.
Take the statement from above “I can’t remember names.” Replace it with a positive statement “With my excellent memory, I can remember people’s names.” Then start repeating it to yourself, over and over, until you begin to believe it. Because it’ll be true.

2. Don’t allow others to contaminate your self-talk with their negativity.

Negative self-talk is often a habit of thinking that’s been picked up from a parent, friend, or coworker.

The next time anyone offers you a negative opinion, don’t agree with them mentally. Instead, affirm positive self-talk.

Here are some negative statements that others may impose on you. What positive self-talk can you use to neutralize the negative effects of this kind of conversation?

“He really made a mess of it, didn’t he?”
“I don’t trust him, do you?”
“This company doesn’t care about us.”
“Sure is a lousy day, isn’t it?”
“I don’t think it’s going to work, do you?”
“I don’ have enough time to do what I need to do.”

When someone else states something negatively and expects a response, you really only have two choices.

1. You can ignore the comment and say nothing.

2. You can try to help that person see the positive side of the situation.

How can you turn the above examples into positive responses?

You never break a habit, you simply replace it with a new one.
Practice doesn’t make perfect. Practice makes permanent. It’s what and how you practice that counts.
The self-management skill of positive self-talk is practicing and simulating successful coming events.