How You Can Boost Your Attitude

Understanding the voices in your head can have positive results if you know how to listen. Most people carry on a steady mental dialogue throughout the day. This is called self-talk, and your thoughts and actions are directly affected by it. While negative thoughts can lead to stress and poor outcomes, positive thoughts can keep your outlook upbeat and help you to be successful.

Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Self-talk is very much like a self-fulfilling prophecy. A self-fulfilling prophecy happens when you think about an outcome in a certain way so much that you actually make it occur (or not). Often your self-talk reflects your upbringing and the self-esteem you have as an adult. When your self-talk is positive, “I know I can do the job,” you are encouraging yourself to succeed and, chances are, you will. When your self-talk is negative, “I’m not smart enough to be a supervisor,” you’re giving up on yourself and chances are, you won’t even try.

Best Friend or Worst Enemy

You can be your own best friend or worst enemy, depending on your self-talk. If you think you can get the job, you will be more likely to apply and show confidence in yourself, giving you a chance at success. But if you say to yourself, I’ll never get hired for that job, you probably won’t apply, guaranteeing that you won’t get the position.

Effects on Body and Mind

Emotional distress can be created by self-talk that is negative. It can also influence you to behave in self-destructive ways (No one cares, so why shouldn’t I smoke?). Positive self-talk can have the opposite effect, leading to more success and happiness.

Change Your Responses

You can learn to rewrite your self-talk script. One good way is to use pencil and paper to note your automatic self-talk responses. List several things you would like to happen (buy a new car, try for that promotion). Then, close your eyes, listen to your reactions to each item, and write them down (I can probably get a loan, I’m not sure I can do the job). For the negative responses, write down a thought that is positive (I can learn that job with some extra effort). Practice positive self-talk and you will be more confident and optimistic.

How you see yourself as a person forms your self-esteem and affects the choices you make in life. Although the opinions of your family and friends, your appearance, your abilities and talents all influence your self-esteem, you can do more than anyone to support yourself and your view of yourself. To become your own best friend try to:

• Not dwell on past mistakes–just recognize them, correct them, and move on without blaming yourself
• Associate with people who are supportive of you and avoid those who constantly put you down
• Work towards a healthy lifestyle by exercising and making healthy food choices
• Accept new challenges by becoming more of a risk-taker, allowing yourself to work through anxieties and self-imposed limitations
• Listen to your own thoughts and cut out any negative self-talk; concentrate on giving yourself positive affirmations
• Recognize your talents and accomplishments and allow yourself to feel proud of them
• Express your views, but respect other opinions also
• Allow yourself rest, recreation, and quiet time and know that you deserve it
• Set reasonable goals for yourself and congratulate yourself when you achieve them

By becoming your own ardent advocate, your increased self-esteem will be evident to all!

Everybody talks about self-esteem, but what does it really mean? Self-esteem is defined as how you view yourself and the value you give yourself in the world. Many things influence how we see ourselves, including our family and friends, our abilities, our physical appearance, our belief system, and our living situation. We can think highly of ourselves or poorly, and our relative disposition can affect every thing that we do. Someone with low self-esteem may always be worried about what others will think, and therefore, will influence the choices that they make. On the other hand, someone with a lot of self-confidence will be more likely to take chances and achieve more personally and professionally.

Nurture Your Self-Esteem

If you are feeling bad about yourself, here are some suggestions to bolster your self-esteem.

• Listen to your own thoughts. Do you put yourself down or call yourself names? If so, stop the negative self-talk and, instead, try thinking and saying positive affirmations.
• Practice clear communication. Say what you mean, even if others might disagree. But remember to respect others opinions as well.
• Don’t beat yourself up for making a mistake. We’re all fallible. Once you realize you’ve made a mistake, make amends, and then move on.
• Make a list of all your accomplishments, no matter how small they may seem to you. Write them down and read them aloud to yourself. If you need help with this, ask your closest friends or family members what they like about you.
• Surround yourself with supportive and upbeat people. Positive relationships will reflect and reinforce your own positive self-image. Stay away from people who constantly criticize others.
• Be good to yourself get enough rest, recreation, and quiet time. This will allow you to stay energized and put your best foot forward when you need to.
• Set short-term and long-term goals for yourself at work and at home. Working towards achieving a goal will give you purpose, and help you feel proud once you’ve achieved the end result.
• Accept new challenges. This could include volunteering to help with the company’s holiday party, running a marathon, or opening up to your significant other about your true feelings. Risk-taking sometimes helps you to work through fears and self-limitations.
• Don’t neglect yourself physically. When you are eating healthy and working out, you are bound to feel better about yourself. If you don’t like the way you look, work on changing it through diet and exercise.

Remember, don’t sell yourself short. We all have positive attributes and something to give back to society. Work on finding what your life purpose is and striving to achieve it.