How Sense-Making and Self-Talk Are Connected

It's tough to make sense of what's going on inside of my head when my self-talk is false. Thus, be aware of self-talk that's untrue. Instead, demand proof.

How do I create that awareness? By demanding the truth in what I say to myself, that's how! Hence, I must control my self-talk before I can make sense of what's happening in me and around me.

Certainly, I can convince myself of lots of things. Therefore, I must be careful about what I'm saying inside my head.

So, for a few minutes, let's discuss how sense-making and self-talk are connected.

"Who I am right now,” at this point in time, will become "Who I once was" in the future IF I am committed to personal growth. Sense-making is a critical aspect of my personal growth. proverbsforprofessionals.net

Sense-making and Clarity

We need clarity concerning ourselves - about what's going on in and around us. That's what I mean by sense-making.

That clarity often comes through times of reflection.

What's the outcome of that reflection? In part, we develop the habit of self-talk that motivates and empowers us to be our best self.

In addition, clarity means we're self-aware, as well as truthful, with ourselves. That self-awareness keeps us in touch with who we really are, and with others who are close to us.

Our being in touch contributes to our sense-making capability.

Remember, who we really are is our authentic self!

Here are two rules for a fulfilling life: 1). Know yourself 2). Be the authentic self that you know! proverbsforprofessionals.net

The Tone of Our Self-Talk

Ok, what about the tone of our self-talk? That is, beyond being truthful, are we kind to ourselves with our self-talk?

Ugh! Often, we're not aware of how we speak to, thus treat ourselves. Why? Because it's such as ingrained habit that we don't recognize it's happening.

Worse yet, we cannot work on something if we're unaware that it's a problem.

Fact is, it’s really tough to be kind to others unless we're first kind to ourselves. Truly, being kind to ourselves positions us to freely share that kindness with those around us.

More importantly, being kind to ourselves improves our sense-making ability because that self-kindness enables us to think clearly about life issues.

It's important to live by fundamental precepts. One is "We become who we continually think we are." Proverbs 4.23 proverbsforprofessionals.net

A Personal Reflection

Negative self-talk, for me, was often paired with comparing to others (e.g., "I'm never as good as..."). Also with being a perfectionist, hence always falling short.

It was later in life, in my mid-40's, before I started my focus on personal growth.

At that point, my self-image and self-confidence began to grow dramatically.

Over time, the negative self-talk began to subside a bit, in parallel with seeing significant professional growth.

The outcome? Much improved clarity about myself, paired with improved sense-making about my life. Again, more positive self-talk led to my improved sense-making ability.

Consequently, I'm much more self-aware now at age 73 than I was at age 33. But, it's been a really slow process.

However, I can take comfort in knowing that at one point in my life I was the world's leading expert on negative self-talk!

Seriously, I wonder if we get better at this type of introspection later in life, as a result of having so many different life experiences to draw from.

We can become very skilled at ignoring what should be most obvious! Actually, we're never as bad - or as good - as we lead ourselves to believe! proverbsforprofessionals.net

Some Takeaways

Is what I'm saying to myself - about myself - really true? And, is it realistic?

Even if the self-talk was true in the past, is it true now? Unfortunately, the answer is often NO! So, stop being your own worst enemy.

Being overly critical or judgment about ourself does nothing to build our self-esteem. Moreover, it does nothing to build clarity about our authentic self!

The reality checks associated with personal reflection are necessary if we're to make sense of things. Obviously, sense-making and reflection are connected.

Listening carefully to our inner dialog is an effective way for us to get to know ourselves more deeply. But, the assumption is that our inner dialog is both constructive and supportive. As such, we want any self-fulfilling prophecy to be the outcome of our positive, not negative, self-talk!

Challenging ourselves can be unpleasant, but it's essential if we're to enjoy abundance in life. How so? Well, our inner peace and sense of self-worth will impact all else about our life.

Visit my blog to learn more about precept-driven personal growth. See: https://proverbsforprofessionals.net