Be Careful How You Speak To Yourself...

Last night I was having a conversation with a friend and I couldn’t help but notice the language she was using.

All the points she brought up were things which she had no control over.

Past events, future events and external factors.

Things like the weather, what other people thought and what had happened previously…

Even though she had no control over these things they occupied her full attention!

We can’t change the past, we can’t be 100% certain of the future and some external factors will always be beyond our control.

When these patterns emerge I ask people to name the things which are inside their control.

The things they bring up can generally be grouped into these 3 areas:   

Their attitude, their preparation and their effort.

If you go into something with a defeatist attitude chances are the outcome will be less than ideal.  

If you do not prepare well for a job interview chances are you probably won’t get the job.

If you put in a below average effort you can expect below average results!

Next time you catch yourself thinking about things out of your control try to recognise it then…  

Change your attitude, focus on preparing the best you can and give a full effort!