Your Big Mouth
“But if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.”
I’ve shared on The Power of Perspective and how we can transform our beliefs from negative to positive, detrimental to empowering! Let’s take that a little further today and look at how words can shape the way you believe.
“One lie has the power to tarnish a thousand truths.”
I have discovered a secret when it comes to reshaping bad beliefs, and the best part is that you hold the key. What is the key? Your tongue :). I like to think of words as a reset button. When bad beliefs or negative thoughts creep in, words have the power to stop them in their tracks. In my course on belief, I share in depth about the idea of a counter thought (or statement). A counter thought is simply a positive thought we create that counters the negative thoughts we have. I encourage everyone to create counter thoughts and have them prepared for whenever a bad belief tries to bring you down. Then, when those bad beliefs mount an attack on your mind, you stop them by thinking and saying a counter thought. It’s like pressing the reset button. For instance, if I regularly thought, “I’m not good enough to accomplish this or that,” then I could counter that thought by saying, “I am capable and good enough to achieve whatever I set my mind to and work hard to accomplish.” Seems pretty elementary, huh? Well, it is but it works.
“Without knowing the force of words, it is impossible to know more.”
Now, we don’t stop with just speaking words though words are powerful. It’s impractical to believe that words alone is all we need. We must then take action on our counter thoughts. Move your words to action and solidify the counter thoughts as reality.
Have you ever heard a star athlete or a successful entrepreneur say, “Well, you know, I just really can’t do much. I don’t know how and won’t be successful, so I won’t try.” Of course not! The ones who succeed have a strong self talk that sounds like, “I can do this. I know my game. I will achieve!” If you want to change your “I can’t, I don’t, and I won’t” to “I can, I do, and I will,” then begin with using your built in reset button: words! Start speaking the way you want to believe about yourself. Then back that up with action.
When I was younger, I played a lot of basketball. One of my coaches told me that my finger should be pointing towards the goal at the end of my shot. The same concept applies to our words and then our actions. Let your words point you in the direction of your goal. If your thoughts are steering you in the opposite direction of where you truly hope to be, it’s time to change them!
“Believing in negative thoughts is the single greatest obstruction to success.”
Take a moment to expose your bad beliefs. Then, write down some counter thoughts. Next time these old beliefs cross your mind speak aloud the new positive beliefs you just wrote down. Make this a daily practice, and watch your confidence change as a new set of beliefs form!