“In order to carry a positive action we must develop here a positive vision”
Dalai Lama
Do you have a positive vision of your body and your health?
As a personal trainer I have privileged access to those that train with me. In most cases individuals seek the guidance of a personal trainer to help create positive change in their lives. In most cases the biggest challenge the trainer will face is the challenge of freeing the positive vision the client has of themselves; the clients internal vision of how their own success and successful self looks.
Negative self talk is the description of what we all do at some time on an almost daily basis. It might be looking in the mirror, or in the sharing of stories of the things happening in life. This negative self talk is a hugely destructive force when it comes to realising our own health and fitness potential. It could be the most destructive force around that prevents the realisation of human potential, period.
In the wrap of TEDX Liverpool in 2014 Sir Ken Robinson says ‘That’s what life is, isn’t it? You create it according to the talents you discover, or not”. He tells a delightful story of a school teacher in Liverpool who did not believe that two of the students had any special talent. The summary given by Sir Ken is that it would “be fair to say that there was a teacher in Liverpool who had half the Beatles in his class, and didn’t think they had any talent”. Fortunately for the rest of the world they listened to a different voice.
Here's the wrap ... it's worthy of your time:
The brain can only listen to one voice at a time. If the inner voice is sabotaging success with lots of negatives then it becomes virtually impossible to discover the talent of personal success within.
Negative self talk can permeate all areas of life. Having effective strategies to silence this destructive voice and allow other possibilities to surface can be a key element in individual and personal success in all areas.
From my years of personal experience as a trainer, and the anecdotal evidence of 10 years of working with individuals seeking positive change here are a few 'self talk survival strategy' pearls that are worth sharing.
- Find something you love doing and become the very best you can be at it. Recognise that you will be better tomorrow than you are today, and you are better today than you were yesterday. Every day is a new opportunity to develop your skills. Be open to the learning and celebrate it.
- Participate actively and physically in the world around you daily. Feel the earth beneath your feet, breathe fresh air, wonder at the birds, the sky, children at play, smells (both good and bad). Be an active participant in the life that happens around you to validate your opinions. Be open to the experience and celebrate it.
- Know where you stand on the things that matter to you. Feeling empowered by the voice of your own well formed, well informed opinion is a giant step forward when it comes to the creation of positive self talk. Be committed to where you stand on things - this generates respect.
- Connect with consideration and engage in lively debate. Having a strong well formed, well informed opinion is key; and so to is having the awareness that there are lots of others out there with equally well formed, well informed points of view that differ. This is the essence of human interaction - variety and contrast. Be open to the diversity and the learning.
- Remind yourself at the beginning and the end of every day, and whenever else you may need to, of the things that matter to you and express gratitude. Be open to the abundance of possibility within you.
Become engaged in the process of your own life as you live it and enjoy the realisation of your creative positive potential and vision.
