My last post talked about positive affirmations that you can use in life and how the practice of quoting scriptures can affirm positive words and feelings. This week, I want to write about the power of our own words and the impact on how they can build a person up or tear a person down .
Our self-talk turns words, thoughts and feelings inward and can either become limiting, self-sabotaging beliefs or empowering and inspiring beliefs . Imagine if you had a best friend who talked to you the way you talk to yourself sometimes. How long would you keep that friend around?
At some point, most of us have been blessed to experience positive people in our lives who affirmed us and believed in us, even when self doubt crept in or when we were losing sight of a dream. Maybe it was a high school coach, a Sunday school teacher, parent, spouse, sibling, or friend. Do you remember the kind of encouraging words the person used? I remember my 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Anthony. Each time she handed out a test, she would smile at me and say, “Oh I feel you are going to get another A.” I always studied for her tests because she raised the bar and expanded my vision and I wanted to meet that goal. And, her words played over and over in my head as I was studying for her tests, “I am going to get another A.”
One of the nine “IAC Coaching Masteries” is “Perceiving, affirming and expanding the client’s potential“. When the coach sincerely “demonstrates belief in the client’s potential”, without going over the top or being a Pollyanna, the client is more willing to take actions to step out of their comfort zone, and challenge their self limiting beliefs. As a coach, you can encourage your client to pay attention to their self-talk and focus on positive affirmations using words, pictures and feelings to imprint positive self-talk. It is amazing how a client can begin to see themselves differently when they imprint these new pathways in the brain over a period of time. A shift begins to take place, and as their confidence grows, the client is more motivated to take action and accomplish more. Speak encouraging, affirming words into their life and make a request for them to adopt a new habit of speaking positive affirmations daily. One technique your client can use is to write them on index cards and read them each morning and in the evening. And, you can help them understand when they catch themselves speaking negative self-talk, to immediately correct it by saying, “that ‘s not like me anymore”... and immediately change the words into a positive statement. Parents, think of how you can help your children build a strong self image by guiding them to change their negative self-talk into more positive self talk.
Maybe this is a good time to review the free MP3 recordings of positive affirmations that I posted in my bl0g last week. Someone asked me to share one of my favorite affirmations… one of my favorite affirmations is “I am a beloved daughter of the Most High God, the Creator of the Universe, the Alpha and the Omega. He lives inside of me. I am known and loved by God and I am highly favored.”
What is your self-talk? How can you build up yourself and others with your words? When will you start?
“As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.” Proverb 23:7
