It's not the voices of the others that will shape your life.
It's the conversations you have with yourself.
Your inner voice.
So let me ask you this.
How do you truly wish to live?
Do you want to navigate life constantly second-guessing your actions,
Decisions and choices?
Trapped in a cycle of self-doubt and overwhelmed by the expectation of others?
Or do you want to live a life where you accept that challenges will happen,
However you know you have the inner strength and resilience to overcome any obstacle?
Your self-talk.
That inner voice.
That inner critic.
You know the one.
That incessant internal dialogue that flows through your mind holds the answers.
It can either be your greatest ally,
Bolstering your self-belief and steering you towards your goals,
Or your most formidable challenger,
Sowing the seeds of doubt and fear constantly.
However,
There's immense power in understanding your self-talk.
It offers insights into your inner world and equips you with the ability to make more informed decisions.
The key is to listen.
When you truly listen,
You'll hear what's actually being said.
The first thing is to notice how you are feeling.
Your inner critic and the way you talk to yourself provides clues about your current emotional state.
When life is smooth sailing,
Your self-talk acts as your personal cheerleader,
Affirming you are awesome and the wonderness of the world.
But what about when things turn?
Turn by taking a turn for the worst.
Your inner critic transforms into someone else entirely.
Perhaps moaning Margaret,
Desperate Danny,
Or whining Wilma.
You've been triggered,
Resulting in a surge of negative emotions.
This is your cue to get curious.
Become a detective of your own mind and understand the why behind these feelings.
Then take the necessary time to address what you discover.
This is where the power of your inner critic comes to you.
It's when you take the time to really feel the emotions and understand why they are there.
The next step is living in the present.
Your self-talk is sparked by current events and heavily influenced by your life story,
Which is an accumulation of experiences so far.
So my question to you is,
When your self-talk begins,
What is influencing it?
What past experience,
Whether your own or someone else's that you've decided to take on,
Is fueling this internal chatter?
It's time to assess whether that experience,
Which is fueling your self-talk,
Is serving you.
If the answer is no,
It is time to do the inner work to release the emotional grip of that experience,
Allowing you to view it as a learning opportunity.
This is your opportunity to be present so that you can step out of the emotion that you are feeling in order for you to look at it as an observer,
As opposed to someone who is in it and therefore is blinded by the emotion as opposed to the learning opportunity that it can give you.
Step three is then to understand your fears.
Your self-talk will bring your fears to the forefront.
This doesn't mean your fears should paralyse you.
Recognising your fears provides you with valuable information to make better decisions.
You can choose whether it's a fear you need to confront and are ready to face or not.
The choice is yours.
You shouldn't be afraid of your fears.
It's natural to have them.
We all have them.
You just don't have to let them dominate your life.
So,
You can allow your self-talk to emerge as one of your greatest superpowers When you invest the time in understanding it,
It unlocks a deeper knowledge of yourself.
With this self-awareness,
You gain the ability to make decisions that genuinely serve you.
So,
I invite you,
Next time you are feeling the emotions because your inner critic has been triggered,
To take a moment to reflect,
To understand what those feelings are actually telling you.
What learning is hidden in those feelings?
And how can those feelings better serve you for making decisions and how you're going to live your life from this moment on?
Take care,
Everybody.
