When was the last time you did some dedicated physical exercise?
Many people have realised that our busy and stressful lives need some balance. They are flocking in droves to gymnasiums all over the country. Others are even engaging Personal Trainers who, themselves, are experiencing boom times in the international quest for fitness.
It seems that people everywhere are becoming increasingly conscious of their physical condition. Everybody wants to feel younger and look younger. But what about mental conditioning? Sadly, too many people do not have time to build mental muscles by educating themselves. Sure, Joe and Jane Citizen read newspapers, watch television and listen to radio programs. But is that education? It could be argued that these media are a form of negative education. You see, most of the news flowing through to us is full of doom and gloom.
Negative sells. Editors know this. They also understand that most people are negatively tuned. That is why they skew their editorials with a negative disposition. We see glaring headlines like "Car Crash Kills Six" or "Fourteen People Die in Suicide Bombing."
For most people, doom and gloom is eminently believable. The more they are fed, the more they believe.
Try this little test:
Assume somebody called you and informed you that you had just won a big lottery prize. Then, directly after, somebody else called you saying you were the subject of a tax audit. Which story would you be inclined to believe?
Let's now qualify this a little more. What if you knew absolutely that you had bought that lottery ticket from an outlet that has a history of selling winning tickets, and you also knew absolutely that your tax return had been filed by a highly competent tax accountant? What would your instinct tell you to believe?
Understand this - the power of negative is far more powerful than the power of positive. It is so easy to let that little self-talk gremlin inside your head influence you in a negative manner.
Many years ago I read a wonderful book which dealt with this very matter. It was called "What to Say When You Talk to Yourself" by Shad Helmstetter. If you want to know more about what you tell yourself then I highly recommend that you read this book. In it Helmstetter tells us that "as much as seventy-seven percent of everything we think is negative, counter-productive, and works against us". He also states that "programming the brain with a more successful new picture of yourself is the most sensible" way to success.
Any good book store will be able to supply a copy of this book for you. If you have any difficulty tracking it down then you can always quote its unique identity code. (Here it is: ISBN 0 7225 2511 7)
Giving yourself a mental "check up from the neck up" will certainly make you aware of the dangers of allowing too much negative news to permeate and influence your thoughts. Think about it. We are constantly bombarded with negative messages from the moment we arise in the morning to the minute we fall asleep at night. Still don't believe me? Here's another little test:
Get this morning's newspaper. Open it to the first three pages (these are the pages that the Editor of the newspaper considers are the most important). Find a red crayon and a blue crayon. Put a red border around all the bad news. Then take your blue crayon and do the same for any good news stories (if you can find any). Now compare the area bounded in red by the area bounded in blue. What do you find?
You need to be aware of this constant battle between positive and negative. There is a competition between the two for the space each occupies in your mind and thought processes.
The more positive thoughts you can put into your brain the less you will be influenced by the army of doom-sayers.
When you believe in the power of positive, a strange thing begins to happen. You start to attract good things into your life like a magnet! Read Dr Helmstetter's excellent book "What to Say When You Talk to Yourself" and give yourself that "check up from the neck up."
[If you like this article and would like to use it on your own website or ezine you may do so ONLY if the article is not changed in any way and the final paragraph: "About the author", with all links intact, is included.]
About the author: Gary Simpson is the author of eight books covering a diverse range of subjects such as self esteem, affirmations, self defense, finance and much more. His articles appear all over the web. Gary's email address is budo@iinet.net.au. Click here to go to his Motivation & Self Esteem for Success website where you can receive his "Zenspirational Thoughts" plus an immediate FREE copy of his highly acclaimed, life-changing e-book "The Power of Choice."
Are you maximizing your strengths and promoting your talents at... Read More
Although many of us use self-help tools like affirmations, visualizations,... Read More
Do you ever get an uncomfortable feeling in your stomach... Read More
Recently, I worked with a client who was having a... Read More
And ironically the more we worry about it, the more... Read More
The other day I decided to skip cooking dinner and... Read More
I turned 29 last week, and if statistics are right... Read More
With life coaching becoming "the" career choice in this millennium,... Read More
Signs of Self-ConfidenceLet's explore the meaning of self-confidence by taking... Read More
Why should you bother to spend your valuable time learning... Read More
Having excellent persuasion skills is one of the most important... Read More
For adults with Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), details are a... Read More
Small talk used to be really hard work for me.... Read More
From grimaces to stomach knots, talking about marketing seems to... Read More
My work in organizations involves dropping habitual ways of perceiving... Read More
The intriguing Human psyche - more complex than the metamorphosing... Read More
Direct Answers - Column for the week of July 15,... Read More
Sometimes life can seem like one long series of unsolvable... Read More
"Don't shoot... We're on the same side."Contrary to popular belief,... Read More
A few weeks ago at a "Leadership from the Ground... Read More
I'm writing this on my laptop in a Cosi café... Read More
Often while talking to people about my coaching practice I... Read More
Language is a challenging way to communicate. It allows us... Read More
Work addiction is very common in our society today, yet... Read More
But first you've got to raise your standards.I know at... Read More
Recently at a Pharmaceutical meeting in Europe, one of the... Read More
How would you like to get along even better with... Read More
In this discussion, we talk about Coaching Skills with Phil... Read More
Imagine yourself as the only means of financially supporting you.... Read More
One of the most distressing observations I have made among... Read More
When you read books on personal development and articles about... Read More
In principle, we don't want to give up coaching employees.... Read More
The naked truth of person is that we are still... Read More
There are times when we truly look forward to something... Read More
In this article we would like to help you explore... Read More
If you feel the heat of burn-out, it is possible... Read More
I looked up the definition of "to dither" before writing... Read More
Managing cash flow is every small business owner's most important... Read More
As a coach that specializes in marriage, couples and family... Read More
The naked truth of person is that we are still... Read More
Small talk used to be really hard work for me.... Read More
Randall sought my help because he was stuck being miserable... Read More
Laughter may or may not be a shock, relieved, but... Read More
Many moons ago. Talking to people was something I avoided... Read More
Anybody who has visited my website at Motivation & Self... Read More
People have a difficult time letting go of the past... Read More
As a Master Certified Relationship Coach, I work with singles... Read More
Are you feeling overwhelmed, a lack of confidence or under... Read More
A journey by a web-footed gull through a sea of... Read More
In the movie, "The Gladiator," Emperor Commodus' rose to power... Read More
Organizations are finally creating cultures that support a work and... Read More
Have you ever noticed this to be true?The best things... Read More
1. Know your purposeAre you wandering through life with little... Read More
Recently, I have received several emails asking me about coaching... Read More
As an ADD Coach, I usually begin my conversations with... Read More
Helen Keller once remarked that there was one thing she... Read More
Leaders today have many challenges when it comes to guiding... Read More
"My guess is first I'll need some zippy flyers and... Read More
Over the years I've worked with very many coaches and... Read More
Being a coach is such a rewarding profession. The enormous... Read More
IntroductionThe question for leaders in organizations today is how do... Read More
This morning I watched a news article about a young... Read More
The war, taxes, the economy, increased health problems, crime on... Read More
"The indispensable first step to getting the things you want... Read More
During my 35 years of counseling individuals, couples, families and... Read More
As a therapist, I often suggest to clients that they... Read More
Coaching |