The words you say to yourself

This is lesson 3 in Part 1 of my upcoming book, “Engage, Connect, Grow – 52 lessons to guide individuals and corporate teams to the heart of what truly matters to them.” The book is coming out in the Fall of 2017.

What are you saying to yourself throughout any given day? The words you say to yourself can have a great impact on how you make decisions in your life. They can impact how you feel and how you interact with your family and the people at your work.

Below, you can read a couple of journal entries I wrote regarding this.

JOURNAL ENTRY JANUARY 12, 2000
I have been noticing that I do tend to take people’s reactions the wrong way. I normally don’t say hi to someone unless they look at me and I think I feel slightly rejected by people who don’t go out of their way to say hi. I feel like I’m not important. I’m a loser. I put their words in my head.

JOURNAL ENTRY MARCH 4, 2014
Life is a maze & love is a riddle.
Bring me peace.
Bring me peace.
I want peace.
How can we feel Peace now?

Exercise for You

Spend this week really noticing the words you say to yourself. This is an exercise you may find helpful to do regularly to get a true sense of the impact the words you use have on your self-esteem and confidence. You may want to keep a journal with you so you can write your thoughts down when you notice them.

1. Write what you are saying to yourself.
2. Are there words you use on a regular basis?
3. Are there labels or names your call yourself?
4. What do you say to yourself when you make a mistake?
5. What do you say to yourself when you achieve a goal?

Exercise for Your Team or Group

1. Discuss what the group members say to themselves about your team or group, if people are open to this.
2. Are there words the team or team members use to describe the group?
3. Are there labels each of you calls the team or group?
4. What happens when the team makes a mistake?
5. What do you say about your team or group when one of you or all of you achieve a goal?

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