Negative Thinking
A bad habit that sabotages your success!
Negative thinking, also known as negative self talk, is something we all do. Unfortunately, this kind of thinking is self-defeating and limiting when it comes to being successful in anything we are trying to accomplish.
Whether it is something small or something big we are trying to achieve, if our thoughts are not in the right place, the chances of succeeding are slim to none.
By thinking negative, we unknowingly sabotage our own success.
Many people have a hard time recognizing negative thinking.
It is important to note that any self talk that leads to painful choices and inappropriate feelings is unhealthy self talk. If things are not working out for you and if you are finding yourself in situations that are less desirable, it could be that your self talk needs a complete makeover!
What are you struggling with?
Since none of us are perfect, we all struggle with something at some point in our lives. Some common areas of personal struggle are:
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Panic Attacks
- Phobias
- Depression
- Guilt
- Low Self Esteem
- Self Confidence
- Anger
- Perfectionism
- Grief
Believe it or not, ALL of these things are associated with negative thinking. Each one is surrounded by thoughts that are untrue, unhealthy, and self defeating. They sabotage our own happiness and success in life.
Great News for Negative Self Talkers
The great news is that negative thinking can be changed. Although you may have developed a bad habit of negative self talk, you have the ability to reverse your thinking. It may be hard to believe, but you have the power inside of you to make yourself feel better and to be successful at whatever you choose.
It's not hard to change your negative thinking, but it does require your full dedication and persistence to overcome this problem.
People do not realize the power behind self talk. If they did, they would work harder at keeping the right thoughts inside their minds and discard every thought that was contrary to the truth.
It is so easy to just accept the automatic thoughts that come into your mind as fact but the results of doing that can be self destructive and devastating. For a very long time, I thought that if I felt a certain way, then it must be true. But the fact is, if you feel negative, then it's because you are thinking negatively. You must remember that feelings are the END RESULT of what you've been telling yourself, not the other way around.
Feelings should never dictate truth. Instead, truth (or what we believe to be true) dictates how we feel.
Of course, you can't talk yourself out of reality, or the negative things that happen in life, but you can change your perspective about those things so your feelings will be more realistic and optimistic.
Many people do not know how to talk to themselves properly. If you don't know what to say to yourself, I highly recommend Shad Helmstetter's book, What to Say When you Talk To Yourself
