Look inward first

This week my topic was on Negative Self Talk.  We all do it at some point in our lives.  But most of us don't listen - or hear, as it were - because we do it so automatically and with very little effort.

The problem is, when we do this, we really break ourselves down.

I was in Pilates last week, and I was so frustrated, because I realize, what I am being asked to do shouldn't be that hard....it was simply to flex my foot with the band and stretch.  However, my muscles weren't playing nicely with my brain.  So when the instructor came over and tried to help me (making sure my foot was properly flexed), I looked at him and said, "I am SO inflexible!"  I could feel the frustration ooze from my pores.

His demeanor very quickly shifted as he looked at me and said, "I am working on my flexibility!" 

I stared back at him, instantly snapped out of my frustration and repeated back to him, "I am working on my flexibility!"

And like that, I realized that my frustration was negating my efforts. 

So small a comment......yet so much damage.

Truth is, we would NEVER talk to our children with the disdain that we talk to ourselves.  Yet we do it without thought or provocation a million times a day.

In my meetings, I stare at people who have continually chipped away at the fiber of their being.  Their faces hang low, their belief systems all but gone.  Some are holding on to a thread of hope that I can help motivate them.  And I certainly do the best I can.  Because I was there too!!

Sometimes we have to build our belief system.  We have depleted ourselves so much, that there is nothing left. 

The disconnect comes from people waiting for the mood to move them.  More often than not, the mood will never come.  We have to force ourselves over and over again until it gets to a place where it starts becoming the norm.  Starting  inspite of you is key!

The more we repeat good actions, the more they become part of us -The more our belief system builds -The more our confidence builds -The better choices we make.  One perpetuates the next.

You just have to realize if you have no belief, you can certainly build it! 

And though I'm not master of belief, my healthy lifestyle is proof to me that my efforts continue to pay off every day.  I just had to give myself a bit of a push get started.

Chip away at the negativity and turn it around to make positive choices.  The benefits outweigh the cost any day of the week!

Happy St. Paddy's Day!