Taken from the SUMMER 2008 Indicator!
STOP
THE NEGATIVE
SELF TALK

  By Charlene M. Proctor 
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Our culture seems to be ridden with negativity from the media, old parental messages, or even advertising that tells us we are not smart, happy, or fast enough. Many outdated ideas or dramas we own from the past can derail us from the positive thought track and send us into fits of negativity, attracting more unwanted circumstances.  How can we quickly change our energy around to build more confidence and happiness?

Recognize non-empowering thoughts

Mainstream thought is often negative and focuses on problems.  If we believe everything put in front of us, we are not exercising the creative power of our own mind.  Shift away from negative, self-defeating thoughts by being aware.  Here are a few classic non-empowering thoughts you may recognize:  “I’m not beautiful.  I’m poor but good.  I can’t be happy.  Life is hard.  The world is a terrible place. I will probably fail. Things will never get any better. I’ll never make any money.”  Awareness of what we are thinking is the first step, so learn to listen to your words, whether mental or spoken. 

Set a new mental equivalent

What we think, and how we set our mental equivalent on any given day, sets the tone for what the universe will provide for us.  If we want success, prosperity, better relationships, more self-confidence or love, then that’s where our mind needs to be – not once in awhile but all the time. Substitute the disasters on the morning news with a sense of positive expectation.  Rise out of negativity by thinking great thoughts about everyone.  See yourself as a success and that you’ve come to the planet with a gift.  Practice verbal harmlessness (no swearing!) and auspicious speech. Release your fears about being a worthy individual.  It is impossible for you to be a “nobody!”  Switch on the positive thought channel the minute you arise each day and consciously invite abundance and opportunity into your daily experience.

Know that thoughts create reality

In today’s merge of mysticism, psychology, religion, and science, western thinking is moving away from proof.  Thoughts do create reality, whether hard data exists or not. Logical positivism had its field day and our culture is beginning to embrace the power of the mind at the intuitive and spiritual level.

A positive mental attitude is the belief that one can increase achievement through optimistic thought processes. It comes from observational learning in the environment and is partially achieved when a vision of good natured change in the mind is applied toward people, circumstances, events, or behaviors (Wikipedia).  Since it is difficult to quantify the effects of a positive mental attitude, it can be considered a philosophy and a way to approach life. Positive thinking is a discipline that trains the human mind to change a perceived reality by repeatedly making positive mental statements.

To turn negative self-talk around, notice where you automatically shift to negative expectation.  This was discussed in the movie “What The Bleep Do We Know.”  Our neuro networks become ingrained in patterns that make us search for a chemical “hit” in our interpretation of reality.  In a nutshell, when we continue to stay in negative thought process that dos not serve our higher purpose we are destined to keep repeating the same life experiences over and over again because we will never view reality differently.  Our lives never improve and living with joy will seem unattainable because we are generating more of what we don’t want.

Negative thoughts have a physical effect on our bodies

Our thoughts, memories, and emotions are not only part of our mental programming, but have a physiological effect on our bodies.  Scientists have determined we hard-wire our own brains by our associative memory: our associations with people, events, times, places, and things.  We assign emotions to the memories recorded in complex strings of nerve cells wired together.  The strings become networks of information we can access automatically at any time.

Connections between our nerve cells are strengthened when repeatedly stimulated in a process called “long term potentiation.”  Through associative learning, our brains are not only programmed by ordinary experiences but by extreme circumstances.  Trauma actually changes the structure and function of the brain and may create an automatic response to a stimulus in the form of anxiety or fear.

The good news is that we do rely upon many automatic programs to function.  Neural networks give us a wonderful opportunity to shift into “cruise control.”  We don’t have to think about brushing our teeth or making every keystroke when typing, we just do.  We’ve established the network by repetition so we don’t have to think about every moment in life with excessive detail.

Thoughts affect our bodies, especially any thoughts that have become patterns that don’t serve us well.  For example, putting yourself down is based upon old information and not the powerful, present moment.  Old experiences like despair, low self-esteem, and self-pity are emotions that give us a chemical boost of neuropeptides, which guide our perception of our current day choices.

Cancel old thoughts and substitute powerful ideas

Want to feel better and stop negative self-talk?  Prune your old negative programming and take charge of your current circumstances.  Positive thought strings create new systems in the brain, producing new chemistry associated with new emotional changes.  Translation: break your “put down” habit neuron-by-neuron and learn to react differently to life! The next time you catch yourself in a put-down, say out loud, “I cancel that” and instantly substitute a new and powerful thought about you.

It’s vital to remember your thoughts, emotions, beliefs, and physicality are intertwined.  Negative self-talk down can make you feel unmotivated and physically ill.  Move your mind to a new way of being!  It’s a healthy habit you can cultivate.  Here are five quick ways to shift to the positive self-talk channel:

1.  Check your state of mind.  Choose your own attitude and emotions, not another person’s outlook on life.  Focus your intentions in the present moment.  Because we have a choice, life originates in the mind first.  As within, so without.  Be consciously aware of what you want to create and claim it as your unique mantra.

2. Focus on today.  Step away from old memories, past relationships, and hurts.  Attend to the present.  Find joy in what you bring to the world.  Take a deep breath, stay centered, and remind yourself your presence is a gift!

3. See the big picture.  In the universal equation, today is but a blink in time.  Move through difficult moments with ease and grace because you are not stuck there permanently… you are going “through it!”  You can do this without depleting your energy reserves by making a commitment to doing so.  Remember, life goes all too quickly.  Make each day count and quit wasting your energy on negative thoughts, unproductive thinking, and who said what to whom 10 years ago.

4. Release negative expectation.  Focus on what YOU can do to contribute to a better world and not what others expect you to do. Pace yourself.  As you practice positive expectation, you’ll find that better circumstances will be attracted to you naturally.  Have faith in the process!

5. Be thankful.  There is no better way to change your energy then to turn up the volume on thankfulness.  If you are thankful for what makes you happy, by the Law of Attraction, the universe will provide you with MORE to be thankful for.  Be generous with gratitude to those in your life who care, to your Higher Power, and to yourself for being an individual spark of Divine Power.  Your natural state is unlimited abundance, so be thankful for all you are and your journey.

Experiencing success through a positive mental attitude begins when we retire certain negative perceptions and break the addiction of old emotional states.  It’s a choice and requires persistent effort!  So let go of self-criticism and move forward when a challenge arises. Change your thought process to include more thoughts of gratitude, unconditional love, self-appreciation, freedom, and joy.  It’s the foundation of a new and better reality.

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Rev. Dr. Charlene M. Proctor is the founder of The Goddess Network, Inc. an on-line educational resource for topics on spirituality and relationships.  Author of Let Your Goddess Grow! she is an educator in the field of women's empowerment. As a subject matter expert for Beliefnet.com, the world's largest personal growth website, her affirmations from The Women's Book of Empowerment reach 2.7 million web visitors daily. She has facilitated the PATH to Empowerment program for Lighthouse Path in Michigan, a residential women's shelter for homeless mothers, teaching them how live with confidence and grace.  Charlene is a Minister of Spiritual Peacemaking and a certified Oneness Blessing facilitator, helping to awaken individuals from all walks of life to the magnificence of their own Divine gifts. See www.thegoddessnetwork.net