Your biggest enemy

Defeating negative self talk

Hello friends! This blog is going to be short and quick. Recently, while I was reading the ‘Just Urbane’ magazine, I came across this article written by Luke Coutinho about positive affirmations. The article was beautiful, and it is something that we all understand and know but often forget. So, this blog is going to be a gentle reminder to all of y’all.

We often tell ourselves “I can’t deal with this”, “I can’t do this”, “I don’t feel like doing it today, tomorrow”. These statements are not only making us mentally weak but also have a detrimental impact on our day-to-day productivity.

These statements that we say to ourselves condition our brains to believe that achieving something is impossible when in reality it is possible. When this happens repeatedly, day after day, we start believing it and they become a part of our identity. That’s how you start perceiving yourself. This is of no benefit, because why would you simply downgrade yourself? Listening to these demotivating voices will only make you lose your self-esteem and convince you to believe that you can’t do something.

Well, everyone has these inner voices, however, what separates winners is that they consciously choose to not fall prey to them. This means, taking the hard path by learning to ignore them, and doing what needs to be done.

I have observed that a lot of us wait for the impulse to kick in, in order to start. But sometimes, you get motivated after you start and see some progress. This is when the driving force kicks in. Waiting for motivation is just a waste. Not giving in to inertia is what leads to motivation 99% of the time. This is the reason it's crucial to maintain self-control and avoid letting your feelings or moods affect decisions/choices they shouldn't.

I believe that we can all develop this willpower through practice. Any skill needs to be practised repeatedly, and this is where discipline plays a huge role. Moreover, if you know that doing a certain thing is going to help you in the long run with your goals, then you will be even more inclined to do it. By avoiding putting in the work today, you are putting your future at risk. Identifying the purpose of the tasks you're having trouble with will help you complete them consistently.

Lastly, positive affirmations are an effective tool to beat negative voices in your head. Making positive thoughts a part of your identity will change your attitude toward the way you do things. It will make you believe in yourself, and condition your brain to think the right way. This, too, needs practice. So, be patient, believe in yourself, and trust the process.

Change your “Can I?“ to “I can.“

Have a great week!