It all begins with your self-talk.
If you are seeking an immediate change in results, then start by tuning in to how you speak to yourself.
Accountability as defined by Webster’s Dictionary states there are four elements:
- Responsibility which is a duty that binds to the course of action
- Answerability which is being called to account
- Trustworthiness which is a trait of being worthy of trust and confidence
- Liability which is being legally bound to a debt or obligation
It all begins with your self-talk.
Take a moment to begin listening to yourself. So many of us are so hard on ourselves. We have accepted that it is okay to speak negatively about our actions and behaviors. In fact, it probably feels more comfortable to have negative self-talk than positive self-talk.
Have you ever complimented yourself on doing something really well, and then retracted it… because you didn’t believe it?
It is time to reverse the pattern.
It’s time to accept those compliments you pay yourself.
It is time to get “in the habit” of speaking kindly to yourself.
The area that will show you the greatest amount of success is your ability to make promises to yourself, commit to them, and hold yourself accountable. Those promises you make to yourself begin with your self-talk.
What are your unfilled promises?
Why do you keep making them to yourself? Why are those tasks not getting done? They are not getting done, because we allow ourselves to not take action. We easily let ourselves off the hook.
For example:
- Have you ever talked yourself out of going to the gym? (Health)
- Have you ever convinced yourself that you had plenty of time to finish that work assignment and instead decided to wait until the last minute and ran out of time? (Career)
- Have you bought an impulse item, and then justified the purchase in your head, even though it busted the budget you had set up? (Wealth)
- Have you ever told someone that you would meet them for lunch, and then changed your mind to meet with a different friend? (Relationships)
- Have you ever bought a set of CD’s or DVD’s to work on a personal development skill, and then not listen to them? (Personal Development)
You are not alone. You start with good intentions. Your initial self-talk convinces you that this is a good solution you are seeking. Yet, along the way, something happens that prevents you from taking action.
So how do we listen to ourselves in a healthy, productive, and positive way?
The first step is to truly listen to yourself – your internal self-talk. Become aware if it is negative or positive. It might sound like “I can’t, or if only I could, or I need to, or I should”.
The second step is to agree with yourself that if you are doing negative self-talk, that you are willing to immediately reverse the conversation to a positive tone. It might sound like “I am in control, or I can get things accomplished or I do keep my promises”.
The third step is to create the pattern of more positive instances than negative. Notice the quantity of positive to negative. It may never be all 100% positive, but it sure can be greater than 50% which is the majority of the time.
You want to re-program your self-talk. It can be done… with intention.