One of the biggest skills I have learned is how to talk to myself. We so often look to others for motivation. We get filled with inspiration after soul-wrenching conversations, heart-warming speeches, or when we witness someone else playing big and taking chances. When you learn how to access this motivation on a daily basis, through intentional self-talk and guided reflection, suddenly a new world of possibility opens up. We talk to ourselves constantly. We have a narration of our surroundings, we tell stories to make sense of what we see and hear, and we uplift or deflate ourselves by what we choose to say when we need to get into action.
Retrain your brain to be your best ally. Practice positive self-talk. Tell yourself what you need to hear when you need it most. Start your day with intention setting, calming your mind to gain clarity and direction, and remind yourself to lead with love, courage, strength, and resilience. It is not going to be easy. It is not supposed to be easy. The difference between truly successfully happy people and everyone else, is simply perseverance. It is the consistent daily practice without judgement or expectation (and forgiveness and self-love when you lose your way). Put the time and effort into finding your purpose, your happiness, your passion, the same way you put time and effort into your work, your relationships, your hobbies. Spend time on you.
Here is an example of a series of questions and reflection that you can use to get yourself started. When you are unclear or unsure on what your answer is, be excited - you have found a perfect place to start digging in and getting to know yourself a little bit better.
- What do you want for your life? (what are your passions, core values, inspirations, etc.?)
- How do you want to feel at the end of each day?
- What changes do you need to make to align your life with your values? (habits? fears? excuses? limiting beliefs? --- what changes are needed so that your thoughts, words, and actions are aligned?)
- All Fear and Excuses aside, what are your goals? What do you want to create, feel, experience, discover?
- What do you need to do to hold yourself accountable? (what skills do you need to strengthen? what kind of support do you need? what reminders are helpful?)
- What are three Actions that you will complete this week to get the ball rolling? Small, incremental, tangible steps that will get you a little bit closer to what you want for yourself.
Allow yourself to be open and vulnerable with where you are now, and choose to be excited and inspired to be in the process of moving from here to where you want to be.
You got this. Tell yourself what you need to hear xoxo