Internal Dialog
Posted on July 08, 2011 by Donald Stuart, One of Thousands of Life Coaches on Noomii.
We all have an internal dialog going on. What is your internal dialog - positive or negative?
The most important conversation you will have is your internal dialog, your conversation with your self. Is your internal dialog a positive, motivating conversation or is it a negative, motivation killing conversation? Most peoples’ internal dialog is largely negative. You can take control of your internal dialog and make it a positive, motivating conversation.
A quote that I like to use to illustrate our internal dialog is " Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right." by Henry Ford. Henry was right. Our success, or lack thereof, is dependent on our thoughts and internal dialog.
Our brain is like a computer that is constantly multitasking. At times we are saying to our self “I’m hungry. My back hurts. I need to go to the store. Why did I say that.” all at the same time. We waste our time and brain power on a conversation that really doesn’t help us; in fact, the negative internal dialog hurts us. For example, if your internal dialog is “I will never keep the weight off” then you won’t keep the weight off. You will rationalize reasons to do things that will put the weight back on. This proves your negative internal dialog and allows it to have a stronger hold on you.
There is an exercise I use to help people change their internal dialog. The exercise consists of two parts. The first part is start or end each day with repeating positive phrases to yourself. This can be your affirmations, it could be any positive you want to say. The best time to do this is when you are relaxed. I like to have my clients start out with breathing exercises to get relaxed. After you are relaxed, state the positive phrases out loud. Do this every day for at least a week for the best results.
The second part is to mindful of the internal conversation during the day. If you hear yourself start to say something negative, stop the thought and speak something positive out loud. This will stop the negative dialog and replace it with a positive dialog. Continue to do this throughout the day for a week to see how your internal dialog changes.
You should start noticing a difference in your internal dialog in about a week. To control your internal dialog, make this exercise a permanent part of your life.
