Our mental image (or mental health) is reflected in our words, actions and physical well-being. It drives the decisions we make each day and the compounded results of these decisions accumulate to shape our reality. In other words, our mental health has the power to facilitate the life of our dreams or it can manifest the nightmares we fear most. Today you are going to learn not only the importance of words, but also how to use them to cure self doubt.

What you believe about you, what you say about you, will shape your reality.

Have you ever been put down by someone close to you? What did that do for your self-image? When you really think about it, these words wouldn’t resonate as much with you had they been spoken by a complete stranger. Yet, coming from someone you know and respect they can deeply damage your self-esteem. Worse yet, prolonged repetition of such phrases can cause you to become ‘stuck’ in a negative mental space that’s riddled with self-doubt. These types of phrases are a form of affirmations. Simply put, affirmations are short, powerful statements.

Let’s also consider, and appreciate, that the person we speak most often with just so happens to be ourselves. If negative affirmations from loved ones can facilitate fear and self doubt, can you begin to imagine what damage they can do coming from our own heads/mouths?

^{Check out the book Psychocybernetics for further enlightenment on the power of self-image.}

So, what about the opposite? When was the last time someone close to you positively affirmed you, lifting your spirits with their words, igniting pride and confidence within you? When was the last time you did that for yourself? Who were you in those moments? What were you capable of accomplishing? Now, what if I told you that it’s possible to feel this way most of the time rather than every once in a while?

Understanding how fundamental internal dialogue is to our individual success, is one of the first steps to creating a more fulfilling life. We must always make the effort to pay closer attention to how we talk both to, and about ourselves because we wont always have a friend or loved one there to pick us up when we’re down. Worse yet, someone very close to us could be the one initiating and reinforcing our self doubt. Thus, it is imperative that we learn to recognize our thought patterns and steer them accordingly.

So, how do we create a mental shield to protect ourselves from negative verbiage?
How can we use affirmations to cure self-doubt?

One of the most frighteningly liberating realizations we have in life is that the most control we’ll ever have is that of ourselves. Frightening in that we can never easily or quickly change the people/circumstances around us. Liberating in that we don’t have to waste our energy trying to.

From a simple math perspective; negative affirmations, or positive ones for that matter, from combined external sources will never overpower affirmations from within. This is because self affirmations are more readily and steadily available. With the proper use of affirmations, we can quite literally become our own voice of reason. In this way we can facilitate healthier lifestyles, happier relationships, and minimize self-doubt. Jack Canfield’s Success Affirmations is a fabulous introduction to using affirmations in your daily practice.

So, how have you been thinking about yourself lately? How have you been talking about yourself? Remember that your pain/failure is temporary and will last only as long as you allow it to. Understand that in turn, your happiness/success is also temporary and will only last as long as you will it to. This is why it is so important to be mindful of our thought patterns and intentional with our words. In essence, this is how we program ourselves. We must not only build the momentum, but also generate habits that help us maintain it so that we may further expand in our glory.
For a more advanced look at affirmations and how to make your own, we recommend checking out The Power Of Affirmations by Louise Stapely.

Take Away’s

• Listening to what others say about you, what you say about you, good or bad, can lead to a false self-image.
  Keeping a positive and authentic mindset will lead to a positive and authentic life.

Tools

• Success Affirmations by Jack Canfield
• The Power of Affirmations by Louise Stapely
• Psychocybernetics by Maxwell Maltz