Self-Talk
The great wrestling coach Wali Muhamad once said, “All great athletes talk to themselves” and he couldn’t have been more right. We may not be able to hear what people say to themselves, but their behavior gives us a good indicator. While performing, successful people speak to themselves with Self-Talk that is (1) positive (2) empowering (3) rational (4) clear and concise.
Simple changes to improve your Self-Talk:
*Change WHY questions into HOW questions. Instead of asking “WHY can’t I do this” ask instead “HOW can I do this? WHY to HOW moves you from the victim to the victor!
*Change extreme irrational words like MUST, NEED to, HAVE to, SHOULD to less stressful words like WANT to, CHOOSE to. This takes pressure off of you and reminds you that your thoughts and behavior are your choice.
*Eliminate the word CAN’T pretty much altogether. Again, change this word to HOW CAN I do this?
*While performing or competing, eliminate the word “I” and “ME.” This is taken from the Zen Buddhist philosophy of oneness. When the self is lost and all that left is the action, a person loses themselves and becomes one with the experience. This facilitates the coveted FLOW STATE aka THE ZONE aka feeling like you can’t miss.
*As soon you find yourself blaming other people, circumstances, or things outside your control say to yourself “I take responsibility for myself.”
*During competition, give yourself SHORT and PRECISE directives. Avoid long drawn out instructions.
*Be a good coach to yourself. If you were giving advice to someone who looks up to you, you wouldn’t beat them up verbally over mistakes, you would probably talk them down and say motivational things to them- DO THIS FOR YOURSELF.
Gene Zannetti
Peak Performance Specialist
One-on-One Consultation and Motivational Speaking
(908) 337-6143
genezannetti@gmail.com
Visit My Blog- http://genezannetti.blogspot.com/
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