Page 6 - Self-Improvement

The Importance of Positive Self-Talk Page 2

How to Start

1. Become self-aware. Just what are you telling yourself every day?
Keep track of when you put yourself down and when you are

positive with yourself. Every time a thought about yourself comes to
your mind, think, “Would I say this to my best friend?” If not, then
you know what you need to change. This way you’ll know what your

weaknesses and strengths are and exactly where you can improve.

2. Challenge the negative thoughts with questions. When you say, “I
can’t” ask yourself, “Why can’t I?” Start saying “I can” more. With
other negative thoughts, tell yourself out loud, “Cancel Cancel.”

Saying this out loud will help replace the negative pathways in your
brain with positive ones.

3. Create a replacement mantra. You can use this for anything in your
life where you feel you need positive reinforcement. For example:

If you say, “I am so stressed and never get anything done,” tell

yourself instead: “I know with time and effort I can achieve what I
need to.” If you tell yourself, “I am just a negative person, I will never
change,” say instead: “I am capable of change.” Instead of saying,

“So and so is much better at this than I am. I give up.” Say, “I am
enough.”

4. Be present. When you focus so much on the things that have to
happen in the future, you cause yourself to needlessly worry.

Control the worry by focusing on what you can do in the next minute
or in the next hour. Don’t let past failures dictate your future success.

Find the method that works best for you, starting with the basics above.
You can also do your own research to find more methods that might help

you and support you in your journey. You’ll be surprised at what changes
as your mind does.