44 NOVEMBER 2021 WorldWide Drilling Resource® but each time I was terrified. The fear continued to grow with my negative self-talk and soon I could no longer ride over any narrow wooden bridges on any mountain biking trail. I would see a bridge coming up and my mind would say, “You can’t do this”, and I would go around it or walk my bike across. This continued for years until recently when a friend took me to a mountain biking skills track which had several narrow bridges with a variety of unusual turns that were all only 12 inches off the ground. I rode over those bridges again and again until I felt my skill come back, and my inner voice switched gears and started saying, “You can do this.” While I will probably never ride over the bridge that nearly killed me, I am now able to ride over most of the narrow bridges I encounter. Here's When You're Most Likely to Beat Yourself Up - The occasions in which we are most likely to engage in negative self-talk will have to do with work/career, body image, housekeeping, love life, finances/income, and parenting. This frequently arises when we compare ourselves to others, especially after we have made a mistake or encountered a failure. It is never a fair comparison to measure yourself against others because everyone has a different back story, and you cannot know what advantages they may have had. When you attack yourself with negative self-talk, you create self-fulfilling prophecies. It is a habit, and any habit can be broken. The trick is to start noticing when you speak negatively to yourself, but because it is a habit, we don’t even realize we are doing it. Once you begin to notice it, you can start to change. When you catch yourself thinking something like, “I can’t do this”, reframe your words to, “Stop. Yes, I can do this.” So, state the opposite positive thought to countermand the negative one. This will take some practice - especially noticing when you do it - but before long you will have a new habit. Examples of negative self-talk include phrases like these: “Why do I keep doing that?” “I’m clueless; I have no idea what I’m doing.” “I’ll never be able to do that.” “I should know better than that.” “Ugh, when am I ever going to learn?” Keep a Stockpile of Positive Thoughts Close at Hand - Changing this habit works best when you develop some positive statements or affirmations in advance so they are ready to use at a moment’s notice. You will also want to create positive statements you believe, otherwise it won’t have the same effect when it comes to the power of suggestion on your subconscious mind. Don’t exaggerate, but use positive words you can accept. For example, instead of replacing, “I suck at golf” to “I’m a great golfer” say, “I’m a good golfer, and I’m learning and improving every time I play.” Enjoy a Longer Healthier Life - When you shift to positive self-talk you will begin to develop a positive mental attitude. And, according to the Mayo Clinic this will empower you to experience benefits, such as an increased life span, lower rates of depression, greater resistance to the common cold, and better cardiovascular health. Now that’s some great motivation for monitoring and changing your internal dialogue to a more positive one! Robert Robert is an innovation/change speaker, author, and consultant. Contact him via e-mail to michele@worldwidedrillingresource.com Wilson continued from page 43
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