Change the Pattern

Thursday

Change the Pattern

 The tongue can bring death or life.

Proverbs 18:21

You’ve asked God for His help.  You’ve identified the negative patterns.  Now, it’s time to change the patterns.   

Have you ever watched as the highway department decides to move a highway?  It takes a lot of work and a lot of time.  So goes it for changing the patterns of your self talk.  But wow, when the new highway is built, it was really worth it!  And, when you re-learn positive self talk, it will be worth it!   

One way is simply to replace a poor choice of words with a good choice of words:  “I can’t do this, I’m a failure,” replaced with, “I’m going to do my best and I’m sure I can improve.”

Another way, maximize your successes and minimize your failures.  Doing this pushes you towards optimism.  I’m a borderline narcissist, so I’m GREAT at this, but for others, it’s extremely difficult.  You have to retrain your brain.

Yet another way is to use positive affirmations, these are a great tool to reprogram your unconscious mind from negative thinking to positive.  This operates the same way that negative self-talk does, but in a way that benefits you.  Create statements in the positive, (“I’m healthy,” not “I wish I wasn’t sick.”) that are realistic, state them as if already true (“I’m healthy,” not “I wish I was healthy”), and repeat them often, in words or sticky notes.  A great example for me would be, “I am calm and relaxed no matter what the situation.”

For you?

“I love my life and speak positive words about myself and my life!”

Lord, help me to replace my negative words with positive ones.  Help me to believe in myself and my life and verbalize it often. 

Amen.