Have you been listening to your internal conversation? I’d be curious to hear what you discovered. One of the things I discovered is that I’m always telling myself to hurry up.If I told you I was the youngest of 3 in a very competitive family, you would probably have most of the information you’d need to understand that behavior. And, if you guessed that I missed a lot along the way due to my hurry to achieve my goals, check stuff off the list, measure up to outside standards, you would be right about that as well.
What about you? Have you listened to your internal conversation this week? Did you find you have a particular conversation over and over again? Examples: “Hurry up”. “Don’t say that”. “How stupid.” What are these conversations telling you that no longer serve you? Are you kind to yourself? Are you just as judgmental to yourself as you are to other people, or more? Are you exhausted?
When you tune in to the conversation, acknowledge it, and change the subject, maybe even change the behavior you were following without thought, you have the possibility for a richer, happier day. I stopped trying to beat the time clock on evening chores. I found I was smiling more and gritting my teeth less. When I get into the “hurry up” conversation, I ask myself why am I doing this? “We” agree on what will be dropped, if anything, and I relax a little.
I suggest that you focus on just one internal conversation you can work on this week.
In the next post, we will explore how to use your internal conversation when coaching your team.
Credit for the amazing illustration: Christian Northeast