Do you talk to yourself?
Go ahead… admit it!
You’re not crazy. We all do it.
I do it. You do it. And so does everyone else.
That little voice has been called many things. You can’t shut
it off. Believe me when I tell you I’ve tried many times.
Years ago I had heard of the many benefits of learning to
meditate. So day after day I would sit in my favorite chair,
wearing comfortable clothing and I would pay attention to my
breath.
I could hear the inhale, I could hear the exhale and the
little space in between the two that was like complete silence.
I had already been forewarned that my mind would wander.
It did. Over and over and over and over and over.
When that happens I was told (through whatever instructions
I was following) to just remain calm and redirect my focus
back to my breath.
It sounds simple, doesn’t it.
Simple, yes.
Easy, no.
I realize that to get good at something… to get good at
anything one has to do it repeatly.
Take golfers for example.
Golfers, in an effort to improve their swing will practice
by hitting hundreds of drives daily. You may have heard of
the term “driving range”.
It’s a place that golfers go to do just that.
They can’t play a round of golf there, but they can practice
this one aspect of their game.
It’s the same reason why baseball players take batting practice
and catch ground balls.
It’s same for musicians, dancers, actors and a bazillion
other professions.
Perhaps I didn’t stay with the meditation ritual long enough
to get really good at it. Although I will admit that I still
do it occasionally and feel I do get some benfits from it.
The difference is that I now take a slightly different
approach. I no longer place the pressure on myself of not
noticing that little voice in my mind.
Now I find myself listening to it and saying to myself
“Isn’t that interesting?”
… a technique I learned from Louise Hay (another one of
my favorite authors).
Many of the things we say to ourselves today are the same
things we said to ourself yesterday and the day before.
Some of those things may stem from things our parents told
us when we were very young. Start to pay attention to that
little voice and see if there might be a few things that you’d
like to change.
Do you make encouraging statements to yourself?
Do you make discouraging statements to yourself?
Are you hard on yourself? Do you call yourself names and criticize
your performance. Or…
Do you appreciate yourself, and recognize progress and effort.
The greatest conversation you will ever have is with yourself.
Think about it.
CD – 18 Ways to Re-Program Your Brain in Thirty Seconds or Less
