Self-Talk

"Whether You Think You Can or Can't, You're Right."
--Henry Ford

You may not realize how often you say negative things in your head, or how much it affects your experience but altering your self-talk can have a tremendous positive impact on all aspects of your life. Try the following strategies to help you become more conscious of your self-talk.

Write in a Journal! Putting to pen a general overview of your thoughts or writing down how you feel and then reviewing the contents later can help you see patterns of defeating self-talk.

Karate Chop Your Thought! The next time you notice yourself saying something negative in your mind, you can stop your thought by saying to yourself “Stop” or by doing what I like to do..... and Karate Kick the thought! Its true. In my mind I visually kick the thought away. I began using this tool when I was a kickboxing instructor but you can find something that works for you. Get creative! Find something you identify with.... Chef Emeril would probably say “Bam!” Then try and replace the negative thought with something positive.

Replace Negative Statements with Milder Wording: As a personal trainer I like to use the word ‘discomfort’ instead of ‘pain’. I do this because ‘pain’ is a much more powerful word, and discussing your ‘pain’ level can actually make your experience of it more intense than if you’re discussing your ‘discomfort’ level.

Turning more powerful negative words to more neutral ones can actually help neutralize your experience. I don’t allow my 7-year-old daughter to say the word ‘hate’ or ‘stupid’. Instead we use ‘dislike’ and ‘not so smart!’ I try and practice what I preach, so instead of, “I hate traffic! It makes me so angry” I say, “I don’t like traffic. It annoys me.” It really helps during times of high stress.

Change Self-Limiting Statements to Questions: Self-limiting statements like “I can’t handle this!” or “This is impossible!” increase your stress in a given situation and they prevent you from searching for solutions. Instead turn the limiting statement into a question. “How can I handle this?” or “How can I make this possible?” This will open up your imagination to new possibilities? You may even want to grab a pen and paper and write down anything that comes to mind. Without being critical let your ideas flow and a solution will most likely present itself.

Facing the Giants Wholeheartedly

This video clip is from the movie Facing the Giants. It is a wonderful example of how people can sell themselves short and not maximize true inner potential.

Are you giving your absolute best?!!

Too often we are swayed by what others think; and worse yet, all too often we talk ourselves out of what we are trying to do. We rationalize why we should take the easier road, or settle on heading in a different direction. Those that walk closest to their potential do so because they know, burning deep within them, exactly what it is that they are driving towards. They are able to block out any negative influence that deters them from their goal. They blindfold themselves to it!

Keep a clear mind and stay on your path by recommitting to excellence every single day. When you wake up in the morning look yourself in the mirror and say out loud "I recommit to being the best I can be today." This is also a great time to set a specific intention for yourself as well.

Upon arrival to my fitness camp the participants write down their intention for the day. Some real examples are: I intend to.....

Get organized.
Avoid junk food.
Be kind to myself.
Keep my temper in check.
Stay motivated.
Be happy with my kids after school.

So try and recommit yourself to excellence each day and set your intentions for that day. Like I always say, "You can't hit what you don't aim at!"

Surrounding Yourself With Positive Energy

Surrounding yourself with positive energy is one of the best ways to create the inertia needed to tackle life head on and achieve your goals. The following are four great ways to keep you in a productive positive frame of mind.

1. Uplifting Music: Listening to music that not only has a soothing melody, but an uplifting message, can be great for developing positive self-talk a crucial element in dealing with stress.

2. Inspirational Books: Books on strength, personal power, enlightenment, or self-help are good resources to help you achieve a positive outlook on life. Rather than triggering habitual self-defeating thoughts, you can find yourself thinking of new can-do concepts when times get tough.

3. Positive People: One of the most important ways you can get (and keep) positive energy in your life is with the company you keep. Do your friends uplift you, or bring you down? Are they critical, or complementary? Ideal friendships provide support when you’re down, fun when you’re up, wisdom when you’re lost, and positive regard. Good friends can inspire you to reach greater heights, and see your strengths even when you don’t. Pay attention to how your friends make you feel, and if they’re less than supportive, start putting your energy and time toward people who are better suited to be your friend.

4. Practice Affirmations: Positive affirmations are a great tool to reprogram your unconscious mind from negative thinking to positive. The idea is to take positive statements of what you would like to see manifested, and repeat them enough so that they’re part of your way of thinking and seeing the world. The following is a list of some great affirmations.

I always give the best in me and the best in everything comes to me.

I am a powerful prosperity magnet!

Every cell in my body vibrates with energy and health.

My body heals quickly and easily.

I am my own unique self - special, creative and wonderful.

I choose love, joy and freedom, open my heart and allow wonderful things to flow into my life.

Start surrounding yourself with the kind of energy that will help you achieve your goals. I am POSITIVE you'll be glad you did!

Embracing Change

This past August I had the pleasure of being the guest Expert Wellness Coach on the TV show Navigating Your Life with Dr. Nat Williams. The topic of discussion was change. What better time to explore the concept of change then the transformational fall season.

How do you view change? Do you embrace change or fear change? Do you view change as an opportunity or something to resist at all costs?

People who tap into their inner passions and achieve high levels of success easily adapt to change because, to them, change is simply another way of taking charge of their lives and fully living. They completely embrace the idea that life is a journey, a becoming, a growing. Life IS change.

Fear is often the basis for any negative notions a person has about the concept of change. If you have fear surrounding a change you want to make it is important to build a strong relationship with your fear by identifying the fear and then taking action to alleviate the fear. Writing down your fears or sharing your fears with a friend often helps ease some of the trepidation.

Once you face your fear, you'll find that it begins to lose its power over you. Instead of you becoming confined by the emotion, you now have the upper hand and can take action.

The next step is to be very clear about what it is that you want to change and exactly what achieving the change means to you. When you know something is important to you and why it’s important then a fuel burns inside you to achieve your goal and you can use that fuel to overcome fear and drive you forward.

Create a list of why you want to change and keep that list in a place you see often, such as in your wallet and/or on your bathroom mirror. Before you know it your fear will be a thing of the past and your transformation will have begun!

4 Steps to Success

Napoleon Hill is the author of one of the best selling books of all time Think and Grow Rich. He devised a 4 step process for success after interviewing more than 500 of America’s top leaders including Carnegie, Edison, Ford, Schwab, Rockefeller, Eastman and more. The 4 steps are:

1. A purpose backed by a burning desire for fulfillment.
2. A definite plan expressed in continuous action.
3. A mind closed against all negative & discouraging influences.
4. An alliance with someone who will encourage one to follow through with both plan and purpose.


A purpose backed by a burning desire for fulfillment.

It is very important to be clear about what it is that you want AND exactly what achieving it means to you. When you know something is important to you, WHY it’s important AND that it’s instrumental in reaching whatever you desire, then a fuel burns inside you to achieve it. Use that fuel, that burning desire, to drive you forward.

A definite plan expressed in continuous action.

Ideas are nothing without implementation. Your purpose and goals can only become attainable once the steps necessary to achieve them are laid out. Now, sometimes this road will be clear and many others time the road will unfold as you travel. In addition to the actual steps you must take for progress to occur, you also need to think about the skills and traits you must learn and adopt along the way.

A mind closed against all negative & discouraging influences.

Too often we are swayed by what others think; and worse yet, all too often we talk ourselves out of what we are trying to do. We rationalize why we should take the easier road, or settle on heading in a different direction. Those that walk closest to their potential do so without worry, fear, doubt, or hesitation. They know, burning deep within them, exactly what it is that they are driving towards.

An alliance with someone who will encourage one to follow through with both plan and purpose.

The final step is to have an alliance with someone who will hold you accountable to follow through with both plan and purpose. It’s extremely easy to let yourself off the hook. Find someone who understands what you’re trying to achieve and what it means to you – whether this is a coach, friend, colleague, or otherwise – and ask them to hold you accountable, to push you, to challenge you, to pick you up, to see forward when you are blinded, to remind you of your motivations, to give you a simple breather, and to help you keep focus. This is the fourth and final step because it’s absolutely required to keep you true to both your plan and purpose.

212 degrees - The Extra Degree

Change by Tracy Chapman

If there was one small change you could make, today, to take a step towards being exactly who you want to be, what would it be?