Is there anything about your behavior or habits that you would like to change or improve upon? What do you wish you could do differently? What about a skillset that would you like to improve? Or a bad habit that you would like to break? If you can’t think of something off the top of your head, try filling in the blank: “You know me, I’m always ______________”. Chances are, you didn’t fill that in with something positive. Most people describe themselves with their negative habits like
“You know me,
– I’m always late” or
– “I’m not good at math” or
– “I always freeze when I get up to give a presentation.”
Here’s the good news. I have a technique that I share with my audiences that has become a favorite take-away. It has to do with language. Take an example of your bad habit and stop saying; ‘This is the way I am, I’ve always been like that”. You are re-enforcing that behavior which increases the chances of that behavior continuing. That is what a self-fulfilling prophecy is. It’s a psychological term that means a belief or expectation about you or a situation leads to actions or behaviors that cause the belief or expectation to come true.
To make it worse, when you label yourself, you behave in a way and others see it and reflect that opinion and behavior back on you.
Let’s change that.
Instead of saying, ‘that’s the way I am’, replace it with ‘Up Until Today’. Because your past is your past. Your past doesn’t have to dictate your future! You can change who you are starting today. This statement acknowledges the fact that you were like that in the past, but now, you can decide from this day forward to be different. You can improve. You can change for the better. Starting today, with your language enforced by your mindset and new behaviors, you can change the trajectory of your life for the better. The bonus is others will notice and reflect that positivity back to you reinforcing the impact of you living a better life.
For today, on this Front-Row Friday, change your bad habits by shifting your language . From now on, you are a front-row phenomenal!
Your Head Usher,
Marilyn
