Change Is In Your Mouth
Words have power and can change the trajectory of your life. It moves us, inspires us to action, brings comfort and encourages us. Occasionally words bring healing and they remind us that we are still not created equal.
We absorb words like vitamin D is absorbed by our sun kissed skin. On most days we are our own story tellers feeding our souls. Either we receive encouraging or discouraging words, or inadvertently take in messages about who we are or who we should be from the world around us. Have you thought about what you said to yourself today? What positive or negative beliefs have you reinforced?
When I facilitate the, “Today is Going to Be a Good Day,” training for professionals like teachers and business leaders on conquering negative thinking, I often pause to ask people to jot down a few of their thoughts. Writing down your thoughts, especially the unhelpful ones, over time can give you insights as to why you make the decisions you do, or react a certain way to situations. As I discussed at our recent webinar “Unstuck and Unbothered”, words have power. The words we say to ourselves like, “I can’t do this,” “I’ll never be able to get this promotion,” or “I know they are all talking about me and must not like me,” have a funny way of manifesting in your life. Now those are the words we are aware of, just think about the words said over us that we are less aware of.
If you grew up hearing that you would not amount to anything, there is a strong chance that you’ve found it very difficult to be successful, possibly shying away in situations of power or feeling like an imposter. If you were told after a horrific incident you deserved what happened to you, there is a strong chance you have trouble trusting your own judgment, and you often expect the worst in situations and probably don’t feel 100% safe in the world. We haven’t even dived into the impact of complex microaggressions that fuel inequality and racism throughout generations.
I want you to just pause for a few moments and think about the words in your life right now. Which words will you listen to? Which do you need to move away from? You can choose which words about yourself you will accept, and the words you will feed into the lives of others. By learning to harness the power of your words you can undeniably change the next few chapters of your personal story and nurture amazing opportunities.
Here are two quick tips to level up your mindset (I had to leave you with a few gems):
1. Surround yourself with affirmations and change your self talk. If you are telling yourself, "I am not good enough to achieve my dreams," your thoughts will create your reality. If you are wondering, “Why is self talk important?” Well, it is a powerful tool to increase your confidence and manage negative emotions. When you are surrounded by negativity, it’s hard to sometimes feel good about yourself or to know what to say to yourself. An easy way around that is to find some great affirmations, write them down and stick them up where you can see it every day, or better yet, rock it as a t-shirt! As Proverbs 18:21 puts it, “The tongue has the power of life and death.” The stakes are high and it's backed by research that has shown positive self talk is a significant predictor of success.
2. Learn what you don’t know and apply new skills. We aren’t all raised with the tools to navigate this life, but it doesn’t mean you can’t learn it. Read books from great minds to understand how they approach situations and adapt to their thinking. As a bonus, connect with like minded individuals just as eager to learn life through an empowerment or coaching group.
For a few more tips to tweak your mindset grab the ebook and let’s get unstuck, unbothered and elevate our mindset. It's available free to subscribers of Designs by Tee. Together, let's make history and change our story!
Amanda Fludd, LCSW-R is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker of over 12 years with a Private Psychotherapy Practice in NY, Adjunct Professor at Fordham Graduate School of Social Service and Mental Health Workshop Facilitator for organizations with a vested interest in the emotional health of their employees. She’s recently branched out as a Mindset Coach, leveraging positive psychology to produce change, particularly for Minority Women in Business, who want to get clarity, gain confidence, improve their mindsets and excel in all areas of their lives. She is someone you want in your corner.
For more information visit her at www.amandafludd.com or email her at amanda@amandafludd.com. To show your support, click here and follow her on IG/FB @Therapyisdope.
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