🧭 5-Step Process for Improving Your Self-Talk

Good Day, and welcome to The Growth Compass. We are the lighthouse, illuminating your path and guiding you safely through the fog of daily life to success and happiness.

GREAT NEWS 🚨 We have given all subscribers access to our FREE Growth Compass Library that you can access HERE.

Here’s Where We Are Headed Today:

• Napoleon Hill on Self-Talk

• How to Improve Your Self-Talk

• Great Posts of the Week

• Daily Affirmations with Michael Jordan

• Free Mental Fitness Links 👇

How to Improve Your Self-Talk

Today, we are looking at how much your self-talk really matters when it comes to confidence, emotional regulation, behavior, and performance.

Why this matters: Building confidence centers on positive self-talk and internal validation, which are more impactful than external approval. Techniques like mindfulness and journaling enhance self-awareness, influence your thoughts, feelings, and ultimately, performance.

1. It drives your behavior.

2. It shapes your perspective (reality).

3. It influences your emotional regulation.

So what does the science say?

The study titled "How Much Does Self-Talk Influence Fatigue? A Comparison of Performance, Perceived Exertion, and Neuromuscular Patterns during High-Intensity Power Cleans" conducted by Young et al. (2023) at Southeastern Louisiana University, investigates the effects of self-talk on athletes' performance during intense physical activities. (Link Here).

Twenty-four experienced weightlifters were divided into two groups: a self-talk group and a control group, engaging in power cleans (a type of lift) to the point of fatigue. The self-talk group employed goal-directed self-talk, while the control group maintained a neutral focus. They found:

1. Enhanced Performance: The self-talk group performed significantly better, completing more sets and lifting more weight. Specifically, they achieved 43% more work once reaching a high level of exertion, demonstrating the power of motivational self-talk in pushing limits.

2. Increased Persistence: Athletes using self-talk showed greater endurance, performing 63% more repetitions after reaching a high exertion level compared to the control group. This indicates that self-talk not only enhances short-term performance but also helps athletes sustain effort under stress.

3. Efficient Muscle Activation: The self-talk group had lower muscle activation despite doing more work, suggesting more efficient muscle usage. This efficiency could reduce fatigue and improve long-term performance.

So what does that mean? Self-talk helps your mind and body.

• It improves your psychological resilience

• It improves your physical efficiency.

The effectiveness of self-talk is enhanced when it is personalized and integrated into regular training, aligning with the athletes' motivational profiles and goals.

So how can you start doing it???

1. Personalize your self-talk - Tailor your self-talk to your personal goals and the specific challenges you face in your activities. This makes the self-talk more relevant and impactful. Decide if you like to speak to yourself in first person or second person or mixed. (“I got this” vs. “You got this”).

2. Use goal-oriented phrases - Focus your self-talk on achieving specific outcomes, such as "I can lift this weight" or "I am pushing through this set."

3. Schedule your self-talk - Integrate self-talk into your daily routine. Use it during specific times such as before starting a workout, during challenging moments, or after completing a task to reinforce positive outcomes and learn from experiences.

4. Practice mindfulness with your self-talk - Combine self-talk with mindfulness practices to enhance focus and presence during activities. This will reduce anxiety and improve performance.

5. Record and reflect - Keep a journal of your self-talk phrases and the contexts in which you use them. This can help you see which phrases are most effective and how your self-talk evolves over time.

3 examples below of how to use these steps to implement better self-talk 👇

Helpful Links:

• How to Reduce Anxiety and Negative Self-Talk

• How Mindfulness Improves Performance and Health

Great Posts from the Week

Daily Affirmations with Michael Jordan

Every time I watch this video, it still cracks me up. Not sure how they convinced Michael to do this one.

That's a wrap for today. If you want to spread the joy, make sure to refer the newsletter to someone you think would benefit!