Research indicates that the average person talks to himself or herself about 50,000 times a day. And most of that self-talk is about yourself, and according to the psychological researchers, it is 80% negative. We know from the research that these thoughts have a powerful effect on us. They affect our attitude, our physiology, and our motivation to act. Our negative thoughts actually control our behavior. They make us stutter, spill things, forget our lines, break out in a sweat, breathe shallowly, feel scared — and taken to the extreme, they can even paralyze or kill us.
Talk to yourself like a winner
So what if you could learn to always talk to yourself like a winner instead of a loser? What if you could transform your negative self-talk into positive self-talk? What if you could silence your thoughts of lack and limitation and replace them with thoughts of unlimited possibility? What if you could replace any victim language in your thoughts with the language of empowerment? And what if you could transform your inner critic, who judges your every move, into a supportive inner coach who would encourage you and give you confidence as you faced new situations and risks? Well… all of that is possible with a little awareness, focus, and intention.
Stomp those automatic negative thoughts
Psychiatrist Daniel G. Amen has named the limiting thoughts we hear in our head ANTs — Automatic Negative Thoughts. Dr. Amen recommends that you learn to stomp the ANTs. First you have to become aware of them; next you have to shake them off and stomp them by challenging them. Finally, you have to replace them with more positive and affirming thoughts.
The key to dealing with any kind of negative thinking is to realize that you are ultimately in charge of whether to listen to or agree with any thought. Just because you think it — or hear it — doesn’t mean it’s true.
You want to constantly ask yourself, Is this thought helping me or hurting me? Is it getting me closer to where I want to go, or taking me further away? Is it motivating me to action, or is it blocking me with fear and self-doubt? You have to learn to challenge and talk back to the thoughts that are not serving you in creating greater success and happiness.
* Source: The Success Principles by Jack Canfield