Stop Holding Yourself Back

Try this exercise. Take a sheet of paper and list down all the emotions you can think of? Take a couple of minutes and if possible, keep writing for as long as you can? Come on, do it. I'll still be here when you get back.

Now, take your list and go back over what you wrote and give each of those emotions a listing out of 10 (one for weakest, ten for strongest) based on how strongly you have personally felt each of them.

Just a clue, the ones you wrote down first will probably rate higher. If it took you two minutes of fairly dedicated thinking to come up with an emotion, you've probably never really felt that particular emotion very strongly. And by the way fellas, there are more than two emotions?.

Next, if necessary, go through your list and put them in order of strength with the strongest at the top and the weakest (the ones) at the bottom.

Once you have done that, answer this question:

How far down the list did you have to go before you came to an emotion that usually has a positive spin on it?

Many of the people I try this exercise with find that it is not until the third or fourth one on their list that they come to an emotion that usually has a positive slant. How about you???

No wonder researchers show that 95% of your self-talk is negative!

Once you become aware of that, you are a large part of the way to being able to change it.

But why would you want to change it?

After all, you've come this far in life with a whole lot of negative self talk.

But that's just the point. If you got this far with all that negative feedback, just imagine how much more you can achieve if that negativity stopped, or at least was reduced.

But it's important for you to realise that in order to turn off the flow of negative thoughts and turn on the flow of positive thoughts and self talk will take some time, some effort, some commitment, some discipline.

And its not something you can do for just a few minutes a day. Its something you need to work on all the time.

It's a bit like dieting, or exercise. You can't do two minutes of exercise every now and then and hope to achieve any improvement in your fitness level.

Nor can you have a healthy breakfast then "pig out" on greasy foods for the rest of the day and expect to lose any weight.

There is any number of different exercises you can undertake to change your self talk from negative to positive. We will look at one or two shortly. You may find others that suit you better. But they all have one thing in common. Each of the exercises has as its basis the replacement of all the negative images, or bits of information you have stored in your subconscious with positive ones.

With all of these exercises you will need to exercise some personal discipline.

The world in which we live seems fascinated by bad news. No doubt you have heard it said that 'bad news sells'. Good news, apparently does not sell, at least not newspapers.

And bad news produces more bad news as each tries to top someone else's disaster with their own "you think that's something, wait till you hear what happened to?" (you can almost hear echoes of the Monty Python Yorkeshiremen's skit?"Shoes, you war looky?. ")

It's as if we need to find some justification, some excuse for feeling the way we do.

And why do we feel the way we do?

Because that little voice in our heads keeps up a constant stream, telling us how stupid, how dumb, how clumsy, how hopeless we really are.

Absolutely everything you have ever experienced through your sense gates is sitting there in your subconscious, just waiting for the time when it can be used in answer to one of the questions, one of the requests for information your conscious mind gives to the subconscious. It's there, It cannot be deleted. But it can be diluted, even swamped.

What I mean by that is one way you can lessen the negative self talk is to fill your life with positive material. No, I'm not suggesting you live in some unreal utopian existence that has no basis in reality. Rather, I am suggesting you choose, quite deliberately the material you experience.

So, rather than watching the nightly news service,

read a biography of a famous person, particularly if that person overcame some sort of adversity to make something of themselves.

Listen to or read some self development materials.

Listen to your favourite music.

There is any number of videos that put magnificent still life photos and nature videos to music. Buy and watch some. You will be surprised how healing it can be.

These are just a few ideas to get you thinking in the right direction. You can probably come up with a whole lot more ideas that suit you, simply by asking your subconscious the question "What positive things can I do, can I read, can I listen to that will be enjoyable enough that I will want to keep doing them?" And give your subconscious some time to come up with answers to that question.

Will that change your life?

You'd better believe it.

Graham Hunt is the founder of Prentis Carpenter Center, an organisation established to resource an environment where people who so desire can discover and fulfill their potential. One way in which Graham is doing that is through is website at http://www.higher-self-esteem-site.com/ Drop by anytime.

---

Action vs. Apathy - Feeling Powerless? Get Moving!

How many times have you felt truly defeated by the... Read More

What Would You Change?

When talking with people about their life, or their job,... Read More

The Solutions to Lifes 10 Biggest Problems!

Every day clients tell me about their problems, often in... Read More

Taking Responsibility

Taking action about our current station in life involves taking... Read More

How Poor Are You!

Do you want to know your poverty graph? You are... Read More

Mortgage Marketing - How to Maximize Your Motivation

Do you have the motivation to succeed in the mortgage... Read More

Changing Lifestyles

We stood in the kitchen talking. I was discussing my... Read More

L-I-V-E-- 12 Steps to Living Your Life

Many of us only inhabit our lives- we do not... Read More

Getting Out of the Zone!

We've probably all heard the famous movie quip, "why don't... Read More

Achieving Your Dreams

While most people spend most of their lives struggling to... Read More

Motivation: Tearing Down Your Own Limitations

Q.: I've always been sort of cynical about all this... Read More

Why You Should Write Your Obituary Today

Writing your own obituary sounds and feels a little strange,... Read More

Procrastination

Allow me to start this with a quote:To think too... Read More

Living Outside the Lines of Normal and Reasonable

Elizabeth Tull is a Professional Excellence Coach who lives with... Read More

Victorious Living

How are things going for you? Are you sitting on... Read More

Chasing Your Dreams!

Friends, it is always a power of your dreams and... Read More

If It Feels Good, It Must Be Right

Copyright © 2003 Priya Shah Is it... Read More

Motivation - The Power of Drive

My experience tells me there are three stages people go... Read More

Have A Crack!

For everyone the New Year is now in full swing.... Read More

Sow the Seed - See the Harvest

The story is told of two boys who were walking... Read More

Commitment vs.Trying - Is Trying Lying?

Today I heard the saying "Trying is lying!"It made me... Read More

Its a Habit

Do you sometimes have the feeling that you're running into... Read More

Creativity and Innovation Management - Motivation

Motivation in creativity and innovation is more important than personality... Read More

A Reality Practice

Suggested practice to gain freedom from self-limitation.It is suggested that... Read More

Questions for the Game of Life

"If you could eliminate one day from your past so... Read More

Raising The Bar

One of the most popular events in the Olympics is... Read More

How to Stay Motivated Until You Get What You Want

And somehow you knew how to stay motivated...Goals are mysterious... Read More

How To Be Motivated Without A Motivator

Many professionals spend their entire careers working under managers or... Read More

Creativity and Innovation Management ? the Value of Challenge

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Motivation: 3 Suggestions for Living a Life of Purpose, On Purpose

"There's so many roads that seem, To lead down to... Read More

My Grandmother Never Had a Degree

There were four generations sitting at the kitchen table, smacking... Read More

7 Steps to a New Life Overseas

Research shows that at any one time more than half... Read More

Stained Glass Windows

Elizabeth Kubler Ross once said, "People are like stained glass... Read More