Do you talk too much?

Do you talk too much and does it mean you’re crazy?

There is a joke that goes like this… Some people say talking to yourself makes you crazy. I say it is the only way I can have an intelligent conversation.

Okay, while that joke may not be the funniest thing you’ve ever heard, you could probably agree that sometimes it feels like more reality than a joke. At one point or another you’ve probably stepped back and said to yourself I am the smartest, or sexiest, or most interesting person in this room. And you were probably right. On the other hand you’ve probably also said everyone in this room seems to be more eloquent, or have more money, or have a better family life than me. And you were probably right there too.

Athletes use positive self-talk to improve performance. Branches of the military have incorporated self-talk and visualization into training for resilience. People suffering with pain also use it to change how they respond to treatment. It’s an amazing idea if you think about it. You don’t have to spend even one shiny red penny to make positive changes in your health or other aspects of your life. You just have to purposefully and intentionally talk to yourself more. The title of this post probably shouldn’t be asking you if you talk too much, but instead why aren’t you talking to yourself more?

Here’s the catch though. It may not work the first time you do it. Here’s an example. Today you wake up and say to yourself ‘You know what? It’s a brand new day, and a brand new me. I’m going to stop yelling at the kids today.’ And well, you make it less than 27 seconds into the new and improved you before you step on a Lego piece left behind by your kid and a burst of unintelligible high pitched monster like sounds begin to flow freely from your lips.

At first glance you might think you blew it. The reality is, like we’ve said before, building this new you is a marathon rather than a sprint. After your rant is over, there is an opportunity for you to say to yourself, ‘Yes I did just yell, and that is okay. Next time I’ll wait a full 3 seconds before I open my mouth. I know I can wait just three seconds.’

Give positive self-talk and visualization a try. The key to being successful with this is to start and keep your goals realistic.

Remember, it’s a marathon not a sprint.