Today, we will be focusing on how intensely the things we think and say to ourselves matter. Mindset coach, Anne McKeown, founder of 2MPower is going to give us a few examples of empowering language phrases we can use instead to put a positive spin on a negative thought!
The words we use and how we talk to ourselves really matter. Unconsciously we have this gremlin in our head constantly talking not extremely nicely to us. Unfortunately, we are wired to generally think negatively to keep us safe. But, if we are not aware of how we talk to ourselves, it can send us down a pretty dangerous spiral. If someone were to say something negative to you, our instant reaction would often be ‘how dare you speak to me like that?’, but when we say it to ourselves, we more often than not accept it. Knowing that so much of what you say is untrue, and your loved ones wouldn’t think the same, is so important. We must be aware of what we say! Because at the end of the day, we spend so much time with ourselves inside our head, we want it to be a nice place to be, right?
How can we stop being so unkind to ourselves?
The first and most important thing is to ensure when aiming to stop being so unkind to we, is simply being aware that it is happening! Secondly, one of the best things you can do is to find and introduce empowering language swaps into your vocabulary that you aim to say to yourself!
Wondering what we mean?
Here are some of Anne’s favourite examples:
- Instead of saying “I can’t do this” say “I can’t do this, yet!” – there is always room for growth and learning
- Instead of saying “I should/I have to/I need to” say “I want to/I choose to/I’m deciding to”
- Instead of saying “I’m tired” say “I’m going to create some energy for myself”
- Instead of saying “I’m stupid” say “I’m learning” – it is a journey
- Instead of saying “I’m frustrated” say “How can I?” – re-frame, re-set, re-focus, and see how you can help yourself
- Instead of saying “You should” say “Have you considered?”
- Instead of saying “This is a problem” say “This is a challenge/opportunity”
- Instead of saying “This is difficult” say “How can I simplify this?”
Another tip Anne shared is to try not to pair a positive word along with a negative, you are trying to enforce something negative, such as when trying to talk to children. For example, with children if we say, “don’t run”, they will often do the opposite and keep running. This is because humans hear the positive word first, being ‘run’. So Anne suggests to instead say in this scenario, just “STOP” or “WALK” so there is one positive, direct command to listen and react to.
To end, Anne shared one last point, “Say what you mean, mean what you say, without being mean.”
About Anne:
We had the pleasure of sitting down with the founder of 2MPower, Anne McKeown about all thing’s mindset, goal setting, and positive thinking recently.
After working as a Sales Coach at BP Oil, Anne discovered that ultimately it was never about the product that made sales, but about the salesperson’s mindset. Her employees were successful when their beliefs and mindset were aligned and were overall, positive. This prompted Anne to find out more.
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