November 5, 2012

Be Your Future … Now

published this at 7:09 am

Self-Talk and Self-Awareness

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Last night on PBS I saw a program on success and winning. The following fact almost floored me.

The self-talk in our heads runs at about 300-1000 words / minute.

Imagine the power of that barrage of thoughts. Whether positive or negative, that much energy can direct a life.

Just being aware of when we’re talking to ourselves makes a huge difference.
Taking responsibility for it can make a difference in our lives.

Be Your Future … Now

I believe that to know yourself is key to succeeding in both business and life. Once we figure our own direction and intentions, those of other people have less power to shape and bend us.

For a few years I spent significant time exploring self-actualizing questions.

Am I being true to myself?

I could tie my mind in complex knots over that one question. Being myself, being true to myself, knowing when to trust my perception of others, I found all of these far more complicated than I needed to make them.

In an attempt to sort myself, I did the math. I thought …

I have so many emotions. Do I always have to go with the one I feel most? If I’m 10% happy does that count less than the 20% nervous I feel? Is one thing I’m feeling more truly me than another? Which should I act on when I’m feeling, love, jealousy, anger, hurt, ignored?

Your answers might be easy, but I could think myself into a tizzy over such questions. Most situations offered too many possibilities.

Finally I looked outside myself for an answer. I saw Dorothy’s personal sense of class, Jo’s open acceptance, and Martha’s grace under pressure. I wished for my mother’s strength and my father’s generosity of spirit. I sought out the people who had the qualities that I admired, qualities I wished I could cultivate in myself.

Eventually, I found that I would grow more and with less angst if I used a different question.
Eventually that question became …

Am I being true to who I want to be?

That question I can check in mirror.

The person I want to be would respond like this …

And the benefits of this future question were lovely. I spent less time out-thinking things, more time doing. And with less and less future before me I want to be the future me now.

Who is the “me” in your future? You get to decide that.
This works for teams, couples, and individuals. Try it.

How will you be your future now?

Be irresistible.
–ME “Liz” Strauss

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Filed under Motivation-Inspiration, Successful Blog | 3 Comments »


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3 Comments to “Be Your Future … Now”

  1. November 6th, 2012 at 3:23 pm
    Timothy Carter said

    I love this post Liz. I strive each day to be the better version of myself than the previous day and that includes sharing content on my Facebook fan page that speaks to that intent to hopefully inspire others. I’ve got to share this via Twitter.

  2. November 10th, 2012 at 4:46 pm
    Cila said

    “When are you going to start being the person you want to be?” is a great question to focus the mind and emotions. The other one I rely on is: “What do you want to have done?”

    When I hit a challenge and find myself making excuses this keeps me honest and on-track. It’s my Jiminy Cricket question.

    I spent years waiting for a Cinderella moment before I finally realised the person I want to be wasn’t going to arrive tomorrow, or the day after. If I wanted to be brave, or kind, or patient, I had to just *be*.

  3. November 11th, 2012 at 1:47 pm
    Ali Davies said

    A great reminder that when we embrace and focus on personal growth, magic starts to happen

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