What kind of self-talk are you practicing?

"You should know this by now. Why don't you know this?!"

"How could you forget to do that?!"

"Ohhh, F****."

"You're such an idiot."

"You suck at this."

"You should just give up."

Any of these sound familiar?

I've said EVERY SINGLE ONE of them to myself in the past at some point or another. However, I very purposefully don't anymore. Why? Let me ask you this:

Would you say any of the same lines that you use on yourself to someone else when they're struggling?

We hold this motivational double standard: we are our own worst critic, and we are everyone else's cheerleader.

Mi amigo, it's time to be your own cheerleader, for your own sake and for that of everyone around you.

It might take a little practice to switch roles, but here's why it's more than worth it:

Coaching, Your Best Bilingual Life, Spanish, SpanishSaturdayNikki BannisterMarch 26, 2021Cheerleader, Model Behavior, Self-talk, Influence, Re-train your brain Comment

Do you just need to try harder?

Are you trying too hard?

We use this phrase in English, s/he is trying too hard, as a criticism. It's meant to imply that whatever it is you're trying to accomplish will only come if you relax and let it come more naturally. Don't force it.

And yet so many times when we're not getting the results that we want, we tell ourselves to just try harder.

Instead of telling yourself to just try harder, ask yourself:

How could I give myself more support? ¿Cómo puedo darme más apoyo?