Flip The Script

People often don’t like the idea of affirmations. An affirmation is a piece of positive self-talk that affirms the person speaking it. In overly simple terms, instead of saying “I suck,” you can say, “I rock.”     

It’s a pretty, harmless idea, really. Some would even say it’s a beneficial one. But you would not believe how many people resist the idea of speaking more positively about themselves or to themselves. 

“It’s fake” or “I don’t believe this” or “It’s not realistic,” are just some of the responses that people give when offered the idea of affirmations. 

What they are really saying is that “negative self-talk equals being realistic,” which is of course not true.  Most of our fears never come to pass but many of us are so well acquainted with negative self-talk that we view it as based in fact.  Research suggests that even people who hold themselves in high regard maintain negative self-talk for 70-80% of their waking hours. 

Imagine you had a friend, that was with you all day, every day who said dreadful things about you for 70-80% of your time together. You’d want a new friend, wouldn’t you?

In the case of young people, it is important to find these negative voices early and to flip them. Here’s a quick way to do just that. 

First, find the negative voice. An example might be, “What if I fail?”  

Second, flip the voice into the positive. If we follow this example, it could become “What if I succeed?”

Thirdly, amplify that voice. If we follow on, it could become “What if I was wildly successful?”    

Another brief example could be,  

“It doesn’t matter. I’ll just give up.”

Becomes 

“It does matter. I will persist.”

Becomes

“I matter.”

And you do! 

Despite what negative self-talk would sometimes, have us believe. 

And so, it’s important that we choose our words carefully for ourselves and our children, because as all of us know, ‘the script creates the play.’ 

Have a magnificent day!

Andrew “Words Matter” Wright