You talk to yourself constantly. This inner dialogue, or self-talk, is critical to your professional success. The key is knowing how to harness your self-talk and steer it in the direction you want it to go.
Pay close attention to your thoughts as you translate them into words. Are you selling widgets or are you building your widget empire? When you think of your clients, do you need more of them? Better than that, think of yourself as a client magnet attracting new business daily.
Feed your brain with a diet of positive books on personal development. Take 30 minutes before bedtime to read just one chapter. The more you read for self-improvement, the better your mental edge will become for deliberately replacing negative images and words with positive ones. Your goal is to move into a state of fluency so that your word choices are always naturally upbeat on every topic.
Once you've mastered your own self-talk, have fun with it. Start each day with an inner dialogue pep talk. Coach yourself like this: "Today is my time. People can't wait to meet with me because they know that what I offer is valuable. I am a client magnet attracting a tidal wave of new business." Then, look out — that tidal wave is just around the corner.
Kathy H. Porter has more than 10 years of experience in sales and marketing. She can be reached at kporter @rochester.rr.com.
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