Self-Talk Workshop

What you say to yourself and how you say it will determine how you perform under pressure. – Dr. Don Greene
All great athletes talk to themselves. –Wali Muhhammad
You are what you say to yourself most of the time. – William James

The Power of the Subconscious Mind

Conscious Mind- Judge (conscious level of thinking. takes in information and makes rational? Decisions)
Subconscious Mind- Robot (unconscious level of thinking. Storage of information and automatic reactions like emotions)
Robot autopilot, aircraft, homing torpedo programmed in advance to seek a target making on board corrections along the way (like the brain) .
The human system is goal seeking by design. It uses environmental information to make decisions. You get this environmental information is processed by your mind, usually unconsciously. In fact 95% of what we do or think is automated. So we need to control how we process information

Relationship of judge and robot (taken from Dr. Denis Waitley)
Judge cant make a decision without the robot
Robot checks the memory bank including words, mental images, and self-image and plays available data to judge for action
Judge controls the robot? No, incredibly often the reverse is true. Often the robot controls the judge in a master slave relationship (addictions, cravings, etc) Action often takes place without any consultation of the judge, but no decision is made without reference to the robot.
So your Robot is programmed with or without you. This happens all the time. It’s how your mind makes sense of the environment.
You may have some outdated and negative neuroassociations inside your robot.
These uselessly negative neuroassociations will predictably and continually mess you up when it matters most.
Under stress and anxiety, the body reacts with that which it knows best ie. highlight reels or doomsday videos, positive language or negative language, confidently or timidly. If you do not reprogram yourself you will suffer.
You cannot wait until your under stress to change your neuroassociations and reprogram your robot.
This needs to be done in advance.
You need to reprogram them now.
How?
Change Self-talk, Imagery, and Confidence building. Here we focus on self-talk.

Everything you say to yourself should be framed with positive language. Don’t use don’ts.

Golf example-
Don’t hit the ball into the water---subconscious hears---hit the ball into the water
Instead say- Hit the ball straight

Substitute- Can’t à Can
Try à Will
Need to/ Should/Have to/Must à I want OR I choose to

Change all helpless Why questions to positive empowering How questions
Write 5 examples

Eliminate extreme language which puts unnecessary pressure on yourself, others, and the world- Need, Must (musterbating –Dr. Albert Ellis), Should (don’t should on me –Teacher Ken Himber). You don’t need to do anything but die, you don’t even have to pay taxes, you can go to jail instead. Such strong language puts you in a slave mindset.
A freedom mindset says I want to, I choose to, it will be good for me to.., I will improve if I..
Awfulizing-à We tell ourselves things are awful, terrible, completely bad. Nothing is 100% bad. Don’t deny reality. Just tell it like it is. Instead of telling ourselves things are awful and terrible, tell yourself it’s unpleasant and inconvenient, but that’s tough, that’s life, that’s the way the world works, nothing to get particularly upset or bent out of shape about.

Directly after a mistake just say- you gotta love it or that’s what its all about
(shake it off and move on, stay positive with yourself)

Quickly get over your mistakes by saying à I should have known
Then simply chalk it up to experience and forget about it.
Forget the feeling and experience, simply learn the lesson.

Your subconscious mind (robot) has no sense of humor.
Self-effacing jokes and sarcasm can be deadly, as they too register in the subconscious.

The questions we ask ourselves often determine what we focus on and how.
Our brain will answer ANY question you ask it. “Ask and you shall receive.”
It will make up things if it has to.
If you ask yourself Why am I a Schmuck? Your brain will tell you why you’re a schmuck. If you ask yourself why am I so lucky? Your brain will tell you why you’re lucky.

Turn your Why Questions into How Questions.
Why implies helplessness
How implies power and control
Why asks about the past, while How asks what to do in the present to have a better future.
Ex- Why am I so fat? -à How can I reach my target of losing 20lbs.

Remember that self-talk is a primary cause of low self-esteem, quitting, and reluctance to pursue goals.
If you continue telling yourself something you’ll believe it (hypnosis and subliminal messages)
Negative self-talk will create a life of its own making more negative self-talk.

Be a good coach to yourself.
Would you pay a coach or caddie to talk to you negatively? Of course not!

Would you speak to a kid who really looked up to you negatively? NO!
you would be supportive, encouraging, and positive. Be that way to yourself.

Send yourself emails.
Post positive notes.