Watch Your Language!

I want to talk about something that bugs me a whole lot whenever I hear it. It actually hurts my soul. It's the language many of us use. Simply put, it's quite often negative and downright ugly. I don't want to say I hear it all the time, but it's definitely not as rare as I'd like it to be. It's not profanity I'm talking about. Nor is it the language that we use to hurt others that I'm thinking of right now either, though that can be a major problem too. I'm talking about how badly we talk about ourselves.

We have to be careful how we talk about ourselves, because our subconscious minds pick up on it...and make our thoughts (which our words represent) reality. Have you ever made a mistake and said, "I'm such an idiot!"? Like I said, I hear it all the time. I even catch myself almost saying things like this...almost, but that's bad enough. I've made it my responsibility to take a stand on this with my friends, family, and acquaintances. Even with strangers I sometimes find myself saying stuff like, "Hey, don't beat yourself up." It can be easy to think it's harmless, but it's not. It seems like such a small thing, but over time those "inconsequential" thoughts add up...without fail.

Learn to give yourself some credit. Learn to accept that even the best of us make mistakes, and that it's OK that we do, as long as we learn from them. Why not give yourself some (honest) praise? Think of a success, no matter how small, a goal you set and fulfilled...a problem you met head on and solved...anything, and say to yourself, "Yay, me!" Start paying attention to what you say to and about yourself in all aspects of your life. I bet you'll find that the better you think of yourself in any specific area, the more success you'll have in your experience. That's no accident, friend. Use it to your advantage. Focus on your strengths, and praise yourself for them. When it comes to your weaknesses, here's what's important: we all have them. Get help when necessary, and believe in your ability to meet...and beat...any challenge. Thanks for reading. Talk to you soon...

Donovan Bradley