“What if the inner dialogue to yourself was blasted over a loudspeaker for everyone to hear?”

Someone said that to me in this past year, and it has stuck with me ever since.

We talk to ourselves more than we talk to anyone. What we say inwardly is arguably the most critical thing we do. It also happens to be the easiest thing to hide from people.

And yet, in some ways we can hide from others what we tell ourselves, but I believe the truth will come out eventually. At some point our lives and actions will act as that loudspeaker. People may not be able to hear exactly what we’ve said, but they will be able to get the gist by watching how we live and carry ourselves.

Say something long enough, and you will eventually start to believe it. Believe it long enough, and your actions will start to reflect those beliefs. 

In the last 8 years, I’ve gone from laughing with people about my lack of athleticism, to competing as a sponsored athlete. Throughout that transformation, my personality didn’t change. My genetics didn’t change. My circumstances didn’t experience a dramatic, overnight change. The very first thing to change was my inner dialogue. I started saying positive affirmations, before I believed them. Eventually I believed them, and before long I was living out what I believed.

What are you telling yourself that no one else can hear? Start there, first.