Congratulations Gretchen! During the second week of our Journey, Gretchen Huddleston said “I am going to win the first place Monarchs on the Move prize.” Her words became reality on September 22 when she punched her eighteenth hole. Gretchen’s motivation and conviction through words led to a determined spirit. Now she has $100 of Monarch Money and new iGnite shirt to celebrate with. WAY TO GO GRETCHEN! (Second and third place prizes as well as prizes for anyone who gets all eighteen holes punched are still available, so follow Gretchen’s lead and get those holes punched!)

If you do not conquer self you will be conquered by self.
— Napoleon Hill

Action:  Speak, receive and reprogram your brain with words and phrases that support your goals and the life you desire.

Having a coach as a father was great even though there were times when I didn’t appreciate it. My sister and I were the “sons” my father never had, so he raised us to play rough with the boys and stand up for ourselves — even fight with boys if necessary. Despite the occasional annoyance of all-sports-all-the-time talks, I am very thankful because he and my mother built up our confidence with their words. If we ever fell, bumped our heads, or scraped our knees, Dad would make us say out loud “I’m mean and tough” over and over until we stopped crying. Our tears disappeared and our cries turned to smiles. There was magic in those words, and he taught us more powerful chants as we grew.

Mom had magical words too. She boosted our self-esteem with compliments. Even when we absolutely knew we hadn’t done our best, she would tell us how proud of us she was, how well we did and how pretty we were. Words lacking confidence or positivity were not tolerated. “I hope”, “I need”, “I wish”— unacceptable! Instead, we were encouraged to speak in confident phrases such as “I am,” “I will,” and “I do.”  These subconsciously encouraged us to take action.

Looking back, I realize that our parents taught us the power of “self-talk”.  By using words that are positive, confident and convincing, they created programs in our brains that empowered us to believe that we can achieve all things and that nothing is impossible. As I often say, we are products of our past—good or bad—and we are programmed to believe and see ourselves in ways that are not accurate. It is up to us to eliminate self-doubt and believe that we have the power to change and achieve anything. Doing so takes setting an intention and reprogramming our brain with “I am,” “I will,” and “I do” statements:  “I am open minded,” “I am patient,” “I will ask for help when I need it,” “I do love and care for my body,” “I will exercise everyday.”

Another opportunity to reprogram ourselves comes through accepting and believing the compliments we receive. When we reject a compliment, we are essentially saying we aren’t good enough, we don’t deserve kind words, and we don’t want them. We are also denying the complimenter the right to be kind, and sending a negative message into the universe. It’s important that we all speak and accept loving, kind and positive words.

There can be no doubt when setting goals. We must write them down and use persuasive self-talk to achieve them. There should be no uncertainty in your language. Two weeks ago many of you boldly wrote down your goals. During the process, Monarch Patty Huffines shared a past success story. She told us that when she was going through her divorce she was asked to write down what she wanted — with or without a man in her life. She took out a legal pad and wrote down everything she could think of, from the sublime to the ridiculous. Within one year, 80% of what was on her list had been achieved and by the third year, everything was!!! She is living proof that we can create anything we want. Patty has written down a new set of goals and recently spoke excitedly and confidently by saying she KNEW her desires would come true. She has no doubt.  Neither should you!

This week’s video features well-known self-talk expert Dr. Shad Helmstetter and shows the power and positive effect that self-talk can have on your life. When you reflect on your life, will you say “I wish I would have” or “I’m glad I did”?

 

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