By
Dave Schreck

Last night I watched the national news, which consisted of 24 minutes of negative stories. The Mayo Clinic has stated that watching just 10 minutes of the nightly news disrupts our systems and affects our health. I can see that negativity rubbing off on some of the people I know.

The other day I asked a friend how he was, and he responded, “Not real bad.”

Last weekend I suggested to a friend that we go out to dinner, but he said, “Not there. They always have a wait!” We were seated immediately.

Then I said, “Let’s go shopping at LL. Bean’s,” and he blurted, “I don’t like that store!” He purchased two pairs of shoes.

Why do most people see the glass as half empty, or when it’s partly sunny, say that it’s cloudy? Perhaps it is our nature to see things from a negative viewpoint. After all, some of the first words we heard as children were, “Stop! Don’t do that! Put that down! You can’t do that!”

When it comes to simple, reasonable lifestyle changes to improve the quality of your life, what do you say to yourself? “It’s too hard and won’t work for me! I’ve failed at every other diet! Others might succeed but not me!” Whatever you come up with you feel is justified. Why? Because your consistent internal communication becomes your reality. Most of us don’t realize how our vocabulary affects our life. It’s time for a check-up from the neck up.

Imagine how our lives will change when we become aware of how our language limits our success. You can change faster than you think. The build-up of a series of seemingly endless failures can produce rapid change. When you’ve had enough setbacks and failures, when the pain becomes too great, you can be motivated to change your habits in an instant.

To really be motivated, you need to associate pain with your current lifestyle. Need some help? If you know of someone who is having trouble controlling their blood sugar (they are overweight, pre-diabetic or have diabetes), try this experiment. Have them take one hand and place it over one eye and then ask them to walk around on one leg. Unfortunately, that may be their future and hopefully that will cause enough foreboding for them to take positive action now!

What comes out of your mouth may be just as important as what goes in. Words form our beliefs, and beliefs govern our behavior. If you suffer from stinkin’ thinkin,’ most likely you have limiting beliefs so expecting to achieve a positive outcome may be difficult.

Actually, everyone, even the most positive people, experience an occasional self-defeating thought creating a form of unconscious self-sabotage.

So what’s the antidote? Awareness: Paying attention to what you say to yourself (your internal chatter) and to others. What if you changed the comment “not real bad” to “better and better?” Would your life improve? Yes! Because you will have more positive experiences that will consistently motivate you.

Take a moment and recall a few negative phrases or words that you use on a regular basis and create a more empowering response.

Here are few limiting statements followed by a positive response.

“I’ve failed on the Zone before. Instead say, “I’ll make the adjustments I need to succeed.”

Change “I can’t do this” to “I’m learning to make small changes that will produce impressive results.”

“The Zone is too hard!” Not at all. “The Zone is a challenge, and the rewards are worth it!”

Don’t say, “It’s probably a waste of time to start the Zone to right now.” Think instead, “Now is the time to change my life!”

Remember, you have a choice, therefore, be aware and select words that support your goals. Remind yourself you’re doing the best you can, and you’ll do even better tomorrow. The best is yet to come.