How to Talk Yourself Into Success

The most important conversation you’ll have today is the one you have with yourself. Negative self-talk, also referred to as your inner critic, is not only a buzz kill it’s a momentum changer. It can quickly fuel momentum in the wrong direction and make things go from bad to worse in your show and in your life.

We all talk to ourselves. Writers and performers have long struggled with their inner critic that either impedes or blocks their creative output. Our inner dialogue has an enormous effect on our success in life according to psychologist Ethan Kross in a recent Psychology Today cover story.

To make self-talk work for you, lose the pronouns! Kross conducted a series of groundbreaking experiments on the human brain and concludes that using pronouns like I or you will actually cause you to perform worse in stressful situations, even if that self-talk is positive.

Stop using I or you when you address yourself. Instead, talk to yourself by name and you are likely to ace your performance.

Kross points out that referring to yourself in third person shifts the focus away from you as if you are giving advice to another person. When you call yourself by name, it actually flips a switch in the cerebral cortex of your brain that gives you confidence.

An example of this is when LeBron James made the decision to leave Cleveland for Miami he said, “LeBron James has to do what’s best for LeBron James.” He went on to win two NBA titles in Miami.

“Flip switch” is the method used in the Artist Way program to silence the inner critic. When you notice yourself and/or your show getting off track and the momentum is going south, check your self-talk.

Talk about your performance in a positive way in third person. Flip the switch. Kill the critic. Watch your success rate soar.

Photo Credit: Demi-Brooke/Flickr