What do you think is the single most significant issue I work on with my clients? Surprisingly, it is also the foremost issue I also struggle to overcome. It centers around the concept of inner-dialogue.
Your inner-dialogue is the ongoing narrative or conversation you have with yourself as you daily live your life. It includes things you say to yourself about yourself, about others, about situations, about what is possible and not possible, about life, etc.
These thoughts are incredibly influential. Why? Because they represent what you believe, which ultimately drives your actions and decisions.
Consider the effect of these seven thoughts:
“I don’t have what it takes” or
“I’m not enough.” or
“I’m too old” or
“I’ve made too many mistakes” or
“This is too hard” or
“This is never going to end” or
“I’ll never recover from this”
I could go on like this all day. Your thoughts are powerful. They drive your emotional state -- which in turn stimulates your actions and your reactions.
And guess what? These thoughts become even more potent when you speak them into existence. That’s right. Thinking a thought is one thing, but speaking a thought takes it to the next level. Spoken thoughts become even more influential. They become physical forces.
Recently I listened to former Navy Seal Chad Wright describe what he calls “the power of the spoken word.” If you’re not familiar with Navy Seals, they are among the most elite fighting forces on the planet. As such, the training they go through to prepare to become soldiers is legendary. The Navy designs their Seal training to replicate the extreme stress of combat. It’s called BUDS (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL), and the most challenging week of this extended training process is called “Hell Week.” And as you might guess, it pushes candidates to the brink. There is a 70% failure rate.
Chad talked about an experience he had with one of his closest friends who was going through BUDS at the same time he was. On one particular night, Chad could see that his friend was struggling. As they talked, his friend said, “Chad, I don’t know if I am going to make it.” He looked back at his friend and said, “Why did you say that? You’ve already lost.” Shortly after that, his friend quit.
Chad powerfully talked about the power of the words that we speak and how thoughts, when spoken out loud, become much more powerful and influential. In his view, they become actual physical substances, powerful forces that shape one’s future reality.
Talk to me about your inner-dialogue. What is it like these days? Let’s take it one step further.
Which of these thoughts are you reinforcing by actually speaking them out loud? What are the effects of those spoken words in your life?
One simple exercise you can do to find out is to keep a journal beside your desk and write these thoughts and statements you make throughout your day. Do it for one week and see what it reveals.
When you change your thinking, you change your life.
