What To Say When You Talk To Your Self

by Shad Helmstetter

“As a man thinketh, so is he.”

You will become what you think about most;

your success or failure in anything, large or small, will depend on your programming––what you accept from others, and what you say when you talk to yourself.

We want to create success with “rules of success,” but that’s not how the brain

We now know that by an incredibly complex physiological mechanism, a joint effort of body, brain, and “mind,” we become the living result of our own thoughts.

In time, we became what we most believed about ourselves. And in so doing, we created that wall of failure and self-doubt, which for most of us will stand invisibly but powerfully between us and our unlimited future for as long as our old programming remains in force.

The only solution that includes all three of the essential ingredients that create lasting change in the brain, is “self-talk.”

Whatever you put into your mind, in one way or another, is what you will get back out, in one way or another.

it will believe anything you tell it––it will even believe a lie––if you tell it often enough and strongly enough. That part of the brain makes no moral judgments; it simply accepts what you tell it.

But it goes far beyond that. How you manage your self, what you do, how you act, each and every moment, every word you speak, motion you make, and action you take, or do not take, will determine how well anything in your life works for you.

Programming creates beliefs. 2. Beliefs create attitudes. 3. Attitudes create feelings. 4. Feelings determine actions. 5. Actions create results.

self-talk is a way to override our past negative programming by erasing or replacing it with conscious, positive new directions. Self-talk is a practical way to live our lives by active intent rather than by passive acceptance.

The five levels of self-talk start at the lowest, least beneficial level.

That is self-talk by which you say something bad or negative about yourself, and you accept it.

2 self-talk is characterized by words such as “I need to...” or “I ought to...” or “I should.”

really should try to get to work on time.” “I’ve just got to lose some weight!” “I’ve got to do something about that.” “I really ought to take more time with my kids.” “I know I should study harder.”

Level 2 self-talk creates guilt, disappointment, and an acceptance of our own

is characterized by the words “I never,” or “I no longer.” In this level, you say, “I no longer have a problem dealing with people at work.” “I never eat more than I should.” “I never get upset in traffic.” “I no longer put off doing anything I want to get done.”

Let’s say that you smoke, but you finally decide that you want to stop smoking for good. So you begin by using Level 3 self-talk. You say to yourself, “I never smoke!” “I no longer enjoy smoking and I have quit.”

But now, when you light a cigarette, you say out loud, “I never smoke.” The first thing that will happen is that if you say those words in front of someone else, while you are lighting your cigarette, your friends are going to think you’re a little strange! But you continue to say the words, both to yourself and out loud. And for a while, you continue to smoke, just as you have become conditioned to smoking, but you also continue to give yourself new self-talk at the same time: “I never smoke... I no longer smoke...” etc.

Remember, the subconscious mind will believe anything you tell it if you tell it long enough and strongly enough. It will simply go to work to carry out its new directives. Your subconscious mind will receive the new direction, create a new, more successful picture of you in your control center, and, over time, will convince you to put the cigarette out, put down the fork instead of eating that extra dessert, or close your mouth before you shout those angry words at a coworker or loved one.

is the most effective kind of self-talk we can ever

4 self-talk is characterized by the words, “I am...”

“I am organized and in control of my life. I am a winner. I am healthy, energetic, enthusiastic, and I’m going for it. Nothing can stop me now. I like who I am. I am in tune, on top, and in touch, and going for it. I have determination, drive, and self-belief. I am living the life I choose, and I choose what’s right.”

“I am organized and in control of my life. I am a winner. I am healthy, energetic, enthusiastic, and I’m going for it. Nothing can stop me now. I like who I am. I am in tune, on top, and in touch, and going for it. I have determination, drive, and self...

“I do everything I need to do when I need to do it. I enjoy getting things done, and I enjoy doing things on time and in just the right way.” The past problem is turned around to begin creating

is the self-talk that challenges us to do battle with our fears and end up the victor. It is the self-talk which stirs us to action, fills us up with self-belief, and plants our feet firmly on the solid bedrock of success.

“I am a winner! I believe in myself. I respect myself and I like who I am. I have made the decision to win in my life, and that’s what I’m doing!”

There is another type of self-talk-like phrases that I have called “Level 5 self-talk,” which, while similar to the other levels of self-talk we’re discussing, in practice is very different. This is the use of “affirmations.” Various forms of spiritually-oriented

“It is...” such as, “I am one with the universe, and it is one with me. I am of it, within it, and exist as a shining spark of light in a firmament of divine goodness.”