Self-Talk: A new narrative. A life-changing experience.
Who knew a simple idea can be life changing
Self-talk: Who would have thought a simple idea could be life changing?
I connected with the amazing women founders of selftalk.space at the DraperU mentorship program. At first, I knew this was a wonderful idea to help change your narrative - I signed up and answered a few questions online.
A few days later, I received an email for my name pronunciation, and then a few days after I received an audio file of my self-talk. About 80% was right where I wanted it to be, but there were a few things that definitely didn’t feel like me.
And I had a chance to rewrite my self-talk in my own words - to include the negative stories that I have been telling myself and turn it into a positive light. This has been life-changing. Wow, the power of penning down those words is instrumental.
And then I just as I do, I shared it with my true friends and it morphed into something more beautiful. Like a caterpillar turning into butterfly :)
When I shared it with my mentee and a dear friend, she created a visual art out of my self-talk. Now, this is an idea worth sharing. I love it!! It even has a butterfly :)
And now I've created bookmarks out of those words from the visual art.
This is the power of change at best, when these words can lift you up just when you need it.
And so, which bookmark resonates with you?
Think about the stories that we tell ourselves, here are a few things that came into existence from my self-talk. There are things that we have held for way too long and it's time to let go.
When I looked at my self-talk, I realized a big part of my struggle has been defining what family is because family is not what is conventional.
A part of my self-talk has been about self-confidence - being able to put my foot one step ahead at a time and facing my fears.
A part of my self-talk has been about breaking the status quo, challenging the norm, being comfortable with who I am and not worry about how others think.
So here are a few snippets from my self-talk to give you an example. I broke my self-talk recordings into 3 parts.
Recording 1: Loving Kindness
Today, we are going to dive into loving kindness for you and everyone around you.
Div, you have a clear commitment to enjoy the beauty and paradox of life as it unfolds.
You believe in living a meaningful, balanced life, and deeply loving yourself.
…..
You wake up every day balanced and curious to see what each day brings.
Friends say how calm you are, your face is serene and peaceful, and they love being with you.
Recording 2: Creative Soul
Today, we are going to dive into your creative soul.
You can solve any problem with your curious mind. You are a student for life. You know that you have the skills to solve problems. And you love creative problem-solving.
…
You are defining what family means to you. It’s the 1% true friends and all the folks who genuinely care about you and you care deeply about them too.
People say we don't choose family; our family chooses us. You have made the choice to choose your family. And to define who your true family is.
Today is a new day. One day at a time.
Be a guiding light to the world. You are Fearless!
Recording 3: Positive Acceptance
Today, we are going to dive into Positive Acceptance.
You know that you are enough, you are lovable, you are appreciated, you are cared for. You love your positive aura and energy, and you feel safe and secure expressing your true self.
…
And now, take a moment to acknowledge everything you have done in your life, thank yourself for who you are.
Pursue what you love and you will be learning what you believe in. Your self-worth is what you define for your own self, not for somebody else or for your family - it's for you.
We are all a work in progress. And the sooner we get comfortable with it, the better we would all be.
And not only is there power in writing it down but I also created an audio/video version of my self-talk to help pick me up when I need it.
And the best part of it all, I recorded my self-talk with my own voice and created a transcription video recording on my pixel. I even named my voice Mia.
Hi Div! I am Mia, your kind friend from Self-Talk.
Folks asked me, why did I name my self-talk voice Mia and I didn't know why. So, I decided to use one of my guided meditations to find the answer.
In the word Mia is “I am” - now that's profound and I let it be a thought.
I'm learning Spanish and I realized Mi is me in Spanish.
I let those two thoughts marinate for a while in the back of my mind. And on Feb 14, I googled what the name Mia means and what I found was striking.
Mia means beloved and this image says it all beautifully.
And the irony of it all is that a week ago, I had bought two products from the company Beloved - a hand soap and body wash. And when I found out what mia means every time I look at the hand soap, that's all I could think.
There's power in words and actions coming together - the universe knew it all along. How? And I couldn't quite put together what this was meaning and the visual image that came into existence when I searched online me was the most impactful.
Would love to hear what you think - is this a mere coincidence or is the universe bringing magic and wonder into my life?
So who is your self-talk voice? And would you name her or him?
Find ways to think of changing your self-talk to bring positivity and light into your world.
Imagination is powerful. And sometimes we need to manifest it as a very dear author shared with me.
There is power when you put mind and words together. And I encourage each of you to dive into that power of serendipity.
And see what the universe has in store for you.