Self Talk

Talking to yourself was once considered to be a sign of poor mental health. But it is now recognised that we all talk to ourselves, and we do so all of the time, in one way or another.

However, we may not always be aware that we are communicating with ourselves, because a lot of our self talk occurs unconsciously, and in the form of images and feelings that have been programmed into our subconscious many years ago, during our formative years.

All of our self talk though, whether we are aware of it or not, plays a pivotal role in both what we produce and who we become.

Now, I know that may sound very simplistic to you, and for some people that statement is simply not true. But I would encourage you to recognise that whatever you tell yourself not once, but over, and over, and over again, will eventually be so ingrained in you, that you will not even recognise the impact it has on your life.

This is true in all areas of your life, and particularly important when placed in the witness box, giving evidence or preparing yourself to be cross-examined.

What you tell yourself, the images, thoughts and feelings that spring to mind, and the attitude that you approach the task with, all have a powerful effect on the outcome you produce.

If the above makes sense to you, then it is critical to your success in the witness box, that you become acutely conscious of the many things you say to yourself, that block or frustrate the success you wish to achieve.

How often do you doubt yourself, tell yourself you can't do something, or undermine yourself in a multitude of ways?

These messages to yourself are the things we to say to ourselves so often, that we tend to overlook their significance.

How often when you think about giving evidence, do you see it as something you dread, really wish to avoid, or finish as quickly as possible?

If or when, you think about the task of giving evidence and being cross-examined in that way, you are much less likely to do yourself justice, and produce the best outcomes, becomes it is something you want to run away from, rather than exhibit your skills, knowledge and expertise in the process.

The way you think about yourself, the attitude you approach giving evidence with; the thoughts feelings and images that you allow to percolate your subconscious mind and dominate it, cannot help but determine the results you achieve.

If you attend court without addressing your negative self thoughts, you are inadvertently playing into the hands of those cross-examining you, because their intention is to negate or invalidate your evidence.

How much easier do you make their job, when you fail to purge your mind, thoughts, feelings and attitude from the negative messages that we have all been subjected to, as a result of our childhood conditioning.