What You Say Is What You Get

"Self-suggestion makes you a master of yourself."

~ W. Clement Stone ~

 

Although I may not personally know you, I do know some things about you. Particularly when it comes to the way you talk to yourself. Chances are, you fall into one of two ways of being.

The first way is strong and resolute. When this type of person faces adversity, they truly believe they can make it through it, that they'll find a way, no matter what.

The second way is that of a defeatist. When this type of person faces adversity, they feel overwhelmed and beaten. That there is nothing they can do.

If you fall into the first camp, good for you. Chances are you will succeed at whatever you set your mind to, and really go after. Truly the only thing that will hold you back is you.

But what of the second type of person? Is there any hope? I can tell you without hesitation that the answer is yes. It's all about changing the way you talk.

Think of your mind as a computer. One so powerful, nothing man has built even compares to its virtually unlimited capacity. A capacity so great that it’s been estimated that the average person only uses three to four percent of it in a lifetime.

Your "computer" is basically empty when you first get it (when you’re born), but it quickly begins filling its database. And it does so in a truly amazing way.

Unlike a regular computer, this one records everything that it comes into contact with, automatically. This means that it not only records when you are intentionally inputting information, but also when you are totally unaware. 

This means you, as "the programmer," must exert as much control as possible over your “computer.” By what you read, listen to, and watch. By who you associate with, and the focus of this post, what you say to yourself.

This probably has more impact on your success or failure than any other one thing. Literally, what you say is what you get. Remember, you can never get away from yourself. The outside world may not hear what you say, but your mind does. It’s always there. Waiting, listening, recording.

When you say things like “I can’t,” or “I’m nothing but a loser,” it hears you and takes action to ensure your commands are carried out.

Conversely, believing in yourself will do wonders for you. You can do far more than you ever thought possible, if you’d only believe in yourself.  Henry Ford understood this when he said, “If you think you can or think you can’t, you’re right.”

We’re also affected greatly by what others say to us, just as we affect others by what we say. That’s why we should all be mindful about the words we use; particularly to children, who have very impressionable minds.

Although there are many factors involved, it basically comes down to this. Your mind is like a fertile field and you’re the farmer. If you’re planting weeds, don’t expect corn to come up. So, what are you planting?

Well, that's it for now. Until next time...

Keep reaching,
Jay

P.S. I would love to hear from you! If you have a comment on this post, please leave it in the comments section, so I can respond to you and others can read it as well. Thanks!

Comments

[Denise]

Pefect timing .. this is something I am currently working on. I have also found, that thoughts are habit.. I think the same things in the same situations. I understand this now, so can change my thought pattern, by replacing negative thoughts with positive thoughts. Its also very important when training for whatever sport your into , to hang with positive people. No Debbie downers, they make you doubt your self.

[Alan]

An expression that is quickly losing it's meaning in our rapidly advancing technological age of CD's and MP3's is the "broken record". Growing up in the pre-historic vinyl age of 45's, 78's and needle-to-the-groove systems of music listening, invariably one of the oft-played favorites would develop a skip causing it to repeat over-and-over some snippet of the record until you physically got up (no remote control gizmos back then) and moved the needle past the skip.

In a way this aptly describes how our subconscious mind sabotages us with negative programming and holds us back should we choose to allow it.

It is essential that we recognize and confront each negative, inhibiting thought. See it for what it is...the repetitive skipping of a record. Take immediate action to consciously disarm and dial down it's volume...moving the needle. And replace it with a new empowering thought...that allows you to finish hearing the song you desire to hear.

Way back then, you could just put up with the annoying skip or decide to 'fix' it by heading over to the record store to buy a new record! Fixing our "broken records" may not be quite as easy as going to the store...though iTunes is incredibly convenient...but it still involves making a 'conscious decision' to do it and do it consistently, until you have repaired and replaced the skips your subconscious mind is bent on replayng.

[Rick Pinzon]

Love those "stickys" at the top of the page! Making some of them today.

[Martijn Linssen]

Nice post, and so very true

We create an edifice of punish-and-reward belief systems over time, mental models about anything and anyone, and only because we keep (re)programming ourselves with words, events, thoughts and feelings

If you've tried something in 3 different ways yet came up with the same result? There's a trap lying underneath that goes very, very deep and dis-tracts all your efforts

Alan's comment reminded me of a poem I was once wrote, with a close-up picture of vinyl grooves: a broken record

http://www.martijnlinssen.com/2010/02/broken-record.html

[Jay Platt]

Thanks Denise! You're so right there. And no Debbie downers!

[Jay Platt]

Thanks Alan! As always, excellent analogy.

[Jay Platt]

Thanks Rick! Great!

[Jay Platt]

Thanks Martijn! Great poem, btw.