In this second instalment of the series, I want to share with you a technique that I have used for years as an athlete and coach to improve confidence and belief. This particular technique is called positive self talk.
Could Stuart have been onto something?
:) Stuart Smalley
But Seriously, Positive Self Talk... It Works!
Do you ever think about what you are thinking about?
Do you realize you get to choose what you are thinking about?
Let's take a look at these scientific statistics on human thoughts:
We have...
60,000 thoughts per day = one thought per second per waking hour.
95% of those are the same thoughts you had yesterday.
80% of THOSE thoughts (or 45,000!! per day) are negative.
Okay, I'm not sure how all this was tracked or if it's 100% accurate (How does one track the number of thoughts?). What I am sure of is that we all have negative thoughts and they create doubt and low confidence levels. I'm also sure that we have the power to do something about this situation.
Maybe you have seen the Facebook posting or email that makes it's rounds from time to time about "The Two Wolves". If you haven't, let me give you the gist of the story... There are two wolves and the one you feed grows while the other withers away.
Our thought life is the same, what we feed grows and what we starve withers away. This means we have to feed our mind positive thoughts and starve the negative thoughts. This is not easy, but it can be accomplished when you get intentional about what you are thinking.
This is where positive self talk comes into play. So, what is positive self talk and how is it used?
Positive self talk is simple little statements, spoken aloud, that can make a major impact on your thought life and confidence levels. Here are few examples I use with my athletes (they say these aloud during practice, before competition, etc).
- I'm too fast
- I'm too strong
- No one out works me
- I can do this
- My technique is incredible
- I am the Best
Simple right? Yes! These are simple statements that when thought upon and spoken aloud, have a major positive impact on your thought life. You see, you can't have two thoughts at the same time. So when a positive thought is in place, then there is no room for the negative. Now speak that positive thought out loud and it gains the power to change your world.
Insert Cool story moment...
Yesterday we were at wrestling practice (I'm a high school wrestling coach) and one of our former State Champion Wrestlers was in the room visiting. This young man (Chris Holly) was also an exceptional high school football player, wrestler, and track athlete. As a matter of fact, he went on to compete as a College track athlete and became a National Champion in the Hammer Throw! Chris is currently working on his Master's degree and becoming an Officer in the Military.
I asked Chris to speak to our wrestlers and share any words of wisdom or advice that he wanted to pass on. He shared some excellent advice and then I asked him to share any tips he used to perform at his highest levels (like in becoming a National Champ).
Chris told our team "My number one tip is Positive Self Talk". Wait, did he know I was writing this blog post?
Then he went on to say "I learned positive self talk here in this wrestling program. I used it as a high school athlete, college athlete, and today when leading my battalion on mission. I say aloud... I am prepared. I have what it takes to succeed. I have worked my hardest. I can do this! I can, I can, I can!"
Wow! Hearing this successful young man speak about positive self talk strengthened my belief in it even further. The proof is in the pudding and Chris is great proof to me (he definitely isn't pudding).
There you have it, the power of positive self talk! This is an excellent technique to put into practice in any area of your life. Warning! You must be intentional about practicing positive self talk until it becomes habitual for you. Since negative thoughts are running rampant through your brain, it's not natural at first to use positive self talk. But, when put into practice, positive self talk will increase your confidence and defeat the doubt that prey's on your mind.
I must add one piece of information in closing out this blog post. I am a Christian and believe the Bible. So, I use a lot of scripture to strengthen my positive self talk. That way I'm not only strengthening my mind with my thoughts and words, but with God's word (the ultimate weapon to improve confidence and defeat doubt!).
Your Challenge: Invest yourself in preparation and practice positive self talk to improve confidence and defeat doubt!
God Bless,
Coach P
"Train from the inside out!"
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