Do you hear what I hear? What you say to yourself and why it matters.

A teacher of mine has a quote; in words, there is life, and in words, there is death. This phrase means that with your thoughts and words, you can give something life, meaning, and momentum to create results, or you can kill your goals and dreams and take away what is needed for them to come to fulfillment.

Think about your business or career and what is next for you? What sort of impact do you want to make next year? What comes into your mind when you think of that? How do you speak to others about it? Is it with energy and enthusiasm, or is it with self-doubt and hesitation?

How do you think or speak to others about achieving your next level professionally? Is it with an attitude of possibility or potential? Or is it with doubt and anxiety? Do you tell yourself that it’s hard for you? That you can’t do it?

If your thoughts (internal words) and spoken words are uplifting and encouraging, then you are putting forward motion and energy into your goals. If they are heavy and disparaging yourself or your ability to achieve it, your thoughts and words act as an anchor. That doesn’t mean you will never achieve it, but it will make the process much more difficult.

The crux of the issue is that the majority of our thoughts are unconscious, and we aren’t even aware of them. Our minds are so efficient, and just like what we repeatedly do becomes a habit, so does what we continually think. The majority of each day, we are thinking thoughts that we aren’t aware of. But even more than that, those thoughts prompt feelings, decisions, and actions that we aren’t aware of having or making either.

This has a BIG impact.

Such an impact that it can propel you forward or keep you firmly held back. This happened to me in my corporate career. I had a boatload of limiting beliefs (those are the lies you tell yourself) that kept me playing small and not realizing my potential. I didn’t cut myself any slack, and I assumed I didn’t have what it takes. All that got me was stressed out and feeling horrible about myself and every single area of my life.

I didn’t have clarity about what I wanted. Each day I would wake up and adorn myself with the stories of yesterday, never allowing myself to move forward. In reality, I was the most in my own way. What I said to myself, I would never say to another human being.

Then I woke up, metaphorically. I started to understand how I was creating my own obstacles, and it began with what I am sharing with you today: your thoughts and words.

Pay attention to how you speak to yourself when looking to make a significant change or pursue a big goal. If you find yourself thinking that you aren’t good at something or aren’t able to do something, then that becomes instruction to your mind, and I wouldn’t think that’s the experience you want to find.

Always chose language with forward movement. Instead of It’s hard for me to make the impact I want, where the door is now closed to any forward momentum, chose to say or think, I am working on putting myself out there to make a bigger impact. That slight tweak in the wording can leave you room to keep moving forward.

If you’d like to make a shift towards an attitude of more possibility, then become self-aware. Pay attention to your thoughts and your language when you are feeling upset, down, or frustrated. Even if words or thoughts that are limiting come out of your mouth or cross your mind, and you become aware of it afterward, it’s still a win! You’ve turned the corner and, with practice, will become continue to become more aware of how you can think and speak to support yourself for success without sacrifice.

Be good to yourself, and here’s wishing you the clarity of thought and spoken word you deserve!