Why self-talk is the most powerful hack in the world

Why self-talk is the most powerful hack in the world Why self-talk is the most powerful hack in the world I listened as one of my fellow FBI agents gave a briefing on the next steps he planned to take in his investigation. I thought he was headed in the wrong direction, and when he asked for our opinions, I told him what I thought.Unfortunately, I was the only one in the room who thought he was headed for trouble because everyone disagreed with me. I felt I had made a huge faux pas- I didn’t like the agent’s idea while everyone else thought it was brilliant!The negative self-talk chatter started to build. “You should have kept your mouth shut. That was stupid. You came across as argumentative, etc.” My self-talk was nothing more than self-criticism. I couldn’t wait to get out of that room.Follow Ladders on Flipboard!Follow Ladders’ magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and more!The internal conversations we have with ourselves, called self-talk, can go on for days, and sometimes through our nights as well. My self-talk was ne gative and destructive because it made me question myself, and soon I was second-guessing myself.Many of us know how vicious that inner critic can be. Often, we are harder on ourselves than we are on others. It’s not because we want to be, it’s because we don’t know how to manage our negative self-talk.Energy follows attention- wherever your attention is focused, your energy will follow. If your inner critic is beating you up about a failure, your failing will be the one thing you focus on.However, there are ways you can harness the power of self-talk so it can help you. Here are 8 ways you can make self-talk the most powerful hack in the world:1.  Nip it in the budNotice when you begin negative self-talk: who are the people that trigger it? and the situations or circumstances?Do a post-mortem on when you’ve unleashed the inner critic and then ask yourself some basic questions: Are my thoughts factual, or are they just my interpretations? Am I jumping to negative conclusions? What is the evidence for and against my thinking? How can I find out if my thoughts are actually true? Once you get in the habit of observing your self-talk, noting whether or not it’s constructive, you’ll find it that much easier to nip the negative thoughts in the bud.2.  Reverse the negative spiralIn the  Rogelberg  study, researchers discovered that the more you use negative self-talk and second-guess yourself, the less free your mind will be to roam through creative solutions of the problems that you face. These outcomes will only further cause you to doubt yourself, leading to a negative, downward spiral.Turn the situation around and counter your inner critic with positive and constructive self-talk. For example, in my situation, I could say to myself, “I don’t always agree with my colleagues. I’m glad I stuck to my guns and pointed out where the investigation could trip over itself. At least the agent understands that there are potential problems if he continues in that direction, etc.”3.  Be specificWhen I say, “Don’t look at the pink elephant,” a pink elepha nt immediately comes to mind. In the same way, when you criticize yourself, you see a stupid person who constantly makes mistakes.If your self-talk is “I don’t want- ,” all you will be thinking about are the things you don’t want- which will probably be what you end up with because that is where your energy will be focused.However, if your self-talk is “I want- ,“ you will be thinking about all the specific things you do want- which is probably what you’ll end up with!4.  Change self-limiting beliefsMany times it is our self-limiting beliefs that create the negative self-talk. As long as you are talking to yourself anyway, ask “Why do I have this self-limiting belief?”Most self-limiting beliefs start in childhood and can be pointed to a parent or teacher telling us we couldn’t do something.Those memories stick with us, even when circumstances change.5.  Respect yourselfOne litmus test to stop destructive or negative self-talk dead in its track is to ask yourself this simple question: Would I talk to a child like this?If the answer is no, you can be certain you are wasting precious energy on denigrating yourself in a destructive way. Often, we treat ourselves much worse than we would treat strangers; in fact, we would have no friends if we talked to them like we talked to ourselves!6.  Watch your languageScientists estimate that we have between 50,000 to 70,000 thoughts every day. Whenever you think about something, it is a form of self-talk so you can see how important it is to control your thoughts.Resilient people do not whine, complain, or blame others; instead, they have the  mental toughness  to take responsibility for their actions. Since you are not perfect, there will be mistakes and failures; instead of responding with negative self-talk, accept responsibility and turn your attention, and energy, toward learning from your mistakes and failures.7.  Embrace your imperfectionsMany CEO’s, entrepreneurs, and business owners are both o verachievers and perfectionists. It’s a double whammy of a curse because they often end up holding themselves to an impossible standard of performance.But no one will tell you they are a success because they’re a perfectionist or an overachiever.    Instead, they will tell you they are a success because they are willing to mess up, learn, and move on. They don’t give up on themselves.8.  Give your inner critic a nameResearcher David Rock  believes that labeling our negative emotions is an effective way of short-circuiting their hold over us. So give your inner critic a name or call it out for what it really is- jealousy, insecurity, fear, etc.You can keep the name in your head, but Rock believes that when you speak it, it activates a more robust short circuit to help break the emotional hold. If you think you can, or can’t, do something, you’re right - Henry Ford This article was originally published on LaRae Quy.You might also enjoy… New neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happy Strangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds 10 lessons from Benjamin Franklin’s daily schedule that will double your productivity The worst mistakes you can make in an interview, according to 12 CEOs 10 habits of mentally strong people