How You Talk to Yourself Leads to Real Results

There is a saying that we are all our own worst critics.  Just take a look at anything that you have done, created, made, or completed and you will immediately notice all of the little imperfections and flaws.  Most of those imperfections and flaws aren’t noticeable to anyone but yourself.  While a certain amount of critique is good, it helps to drive us further and make us better; most of what we tell ourselves should be good things.

This isn’t just the power of positive thinking.  This is what social scientists and psychologists have actually discovered to be true about people and they way they interact with themselves.  Here at Big Sky Collision Center we strive to be the best auto body shop in Billings.  And that means we encourage everyone that serves you to engage in positive self talk.  That’s where it all begins.

The Self Talk Cycle

There’s a cycle in our thinking and our actions.  This cycle plays into who we are much more than many people realize.  It starts with Self Talk, which leads to defining your Self Image, which leads to your Actions and Behaviors, which leads to Real Results, which lead back to how you talk about yourself.

Here’s how that plays out in real life.  You tell yourself that you’ll never be able to run a four-minute mile.  That self talk makes you believe that you will never be able to run a four-minute mile.  That belief about yourself spurs your actions and behaviors so that you never truly push yourself to try to run a four-minute mile.  The result is that you never do run a four-minute mile.  Those results come back to you and you tell yourself, “See?  I can’t run a four-minute mile.”

Let’s look at another example.  You tell yourself that you will never be able to get out of debt.  That self talk makes you believe that you’re just always going to be stuck in debt.  That belief spurs actions and behaviors so that you don’t make the sacrifices necessary to get out of debt.  The result is that you are constantly struggling with debt.  Those results come back to you and you tell yourself, “See?  It’s the debt’s fault that I’m struggling!”

Or how about dealing with bad habits?  Eating healthy?  Exercising regularly?  Reading more?  All of the New Year’s Resolutions that you have never seemed to be able to keep?  Too often we want to change, but we set ourselves up for failure from the very beginning because we don’t tell ourselves that we can do it!

Breaking the Negative Self Talk Cycle

Very rarely can the cycle be broken in areas other than with self talk.  Sure there may be a fluke where the results come and that spurs a change, but most of the time, the change comes with a change of your mindset.

Back to our examples: instead of “I can never run a four-minute mile” we have to tell ourselves “If I push myself hard, I will be able to run a four-minute mile.”  Or perhaps instead of, “I will never get out from under this debt” we say, “I will take on a second job and cut out luxuries for a few months until I am free of this debt.”

Transform yourself into the person that you want to be by substituting “I will” statements for any “I can’t” statements.  Eventually you will believe that you will.  Then you will take the necessary actions and learn the proper behaviors.  Those will bring about the results that you want, which will reinforce your positive self talk.

Make the Commitment to Talk to Yourself Better

Here at Big Sky Collision Center, we strive to build leaders.  We just happen to be good at fixing cars too.  It all starts with saying, “We will be the best auto body shop in Billings.”  Then our actions and behaviors lead to the results that we desire.

Where can you make the change to start seeing the results that you want?