Following on from thinkafresh coaching newsletter #2

How do I change this internal dialogue?
I’m going to ask you to do some investigating.  Firstly,

Identify the voice

Whose voice is it?  Eg yours, a parent, a spouse, best friend, old headmaster...?

What is it saying?  Are there certain phrases or words you hear over and over?

What does it sound like?  Eg encouraging, harsh, shrill, loud...?

Where is it located?  Eg in your head, (if so, whereabouts), behind, in front, up high...?

Play with your answers

Whose voice is it?  Change who's voice it is until it really serves to encourage and support you. 

What is it saying?  If it’s something that’s particularly unpleasant, then use this technique:  To start off, why not imagine that Mickey Mouse is using the same words?  What would that sound like?  Then try Donald Duck’s.  Play some crazy music in the background while you listen to the voice.  Speed it all up until it’s really squeaky and funny.  You’ll know when you’ve done this enough.  Now, switch the unpleasant words that were used for some better ones, (they could be the ones you said to your friend, or some carefully chosen ones that will really inspire you), and play these over at normal speed using the voice you identified previously.

What does it sound like?  Play these encouraging words over in your mind in different ways, eg loud, encouragingly, whispered... until you get one that’s really great for you.

Where is it located?  Then move the sound around until they’re even more powerful for you.  Some people like the idea of putting on some imaginary headphones so they can really hear clearly.  Then adjust the volume so that it’s the best for you.

When you’ve got the best combination then move on.

Practice

Call to mind each situation from column 1 and replay it in your mind, but this time use your combination from above (ie different words, different voice, positioning, sound etc) and notice the difference you feel as a result.  Play the situation out in your mind’s eye and see what differences the changes above bring to the rest of your day.  You might want to do this 2 or 3 times.

Whenever you catch yourself being less than you’d like to be, purposefully speak to yourself (in your head or out loud), the words you've identified here and re-play them in a way that will serve you best.

Enjoy this exercise and let me know how you’ve found it by completing the poll above.