by Teri LaFaye

How do you talk to yourself?

Are your words kind and comforting or are they mean and angry?

How we see ourselves determines how others see us. How we talk to ourselves can affect everyone around us. I witness this every day in my silent observations of people around me.

Negativity can indeed spread just as easily as something positive. Have you ever been really happy and just bubbling over with energy, and then, someone comes along and starts saying “this hurts,” or “that hurts,” talking about how bad they feel? Going on and on about all the things that are wrong?

The more they talk, the worse you feel. Even when they walk away, it’s like someone has just come up and stolen your joy.

I truly believe that we create a lot of our own pain by “talking ourselves into feeling bad.” So, if one can make herself feel badly, then she can make herself feel better!

I have the students in my classes be very mindful of what comes out of their mouths, not only how they speak to others, but how they speak to themselves. People want to hear good things like “You’re doing a great job!” or “You look so beautiful today!” from other people, but when was the last time you’ve said those things to yourself?

We’ve all heard or said, “Damn, I knew better than that!” or “Man, I feel like shit!” Every one of these remarks is recorded in the brain. So, if you unleash these thoughts over and over — ones like “I’m stupid,” or “I’m fat” — you’re convincing yourself of that affirmation and its validity every time you say it!

Say something nice to yourself, after all, when you’re looking for someone to depend on, your best bet is in the mirror! And no matter what happened, you can pick yourself up and get back on the saddle without all those negative thoughts!

Live for the Joy of living!

I guess I’ve grown used to the fact that normal is something that doesn’t actually exist. Once you figure that out, you can stop trying to be what others want and live for the joy of living.

It’s with great heartache that people try to fit into the molds of others’ fashions. Who draws the lines between what’s real and make believe? Why do people continually try to be who they aren’t to impress someone who couldn’t care less?

When did people stop being “real?”

As for me, I don’t worry what others make of me. It is I who has to live up to my own expectations, no one else can do that for me. I will always believe that the best person to depend on is the one in the mirror. When all is said and done, it’s only that reflection that’ll cause the most anxiety or bring the most joy.

Who cares what others think? What matters most doesn’t even matter at all to most! Personally, I would not want to be anyone but myself.

Watch the movie Patch Adams. We should all be that daring, that persistent, that real. I cry everytime I watch it!

I hope I am that kind of person to someone. I pray I am that kind of person — one to scale the walls and break the barriers. I believe I am. And as long as I believe it, I will achieve it.

Don’t forget to check out my other inspirational thoughts!