MIND YOUR LANGUAGE

Article by

KAYSOON KHOO

Your mind holds a ceaseless monologue during your waking moments, much like a chatterbox who talks to himself. Just examine your thoughts. You'll find that words go on in your head all the time.

What does your mind say? It voices your reactions to the circumstances surrounding you. Let's look at some of the negative things it sometimes utters -- I really hate my job, it's so hot I'm going crazy, stupid TV programme, why doesn't she drop dead and leave me alone, damn those people next door, how on earth am I going to pay the arrears of rent, why the hell wasn't I born rich, etc.

Alarming, isn't it? Yet these are the kind of words you allow to resound in your head when life doesn't turn out the way you want it to. Here's a wake-up call. When things go wrong for you, it means you have to cope with whatever's gone awry. The more negative input you feed into your mind, the less capable you are of dealing with the situation.

Switch to another tongue. Use the language of faith and determination. Stop agitating your mind-pool and let the ripples subside. Tell yourself you are calm and self-collected and that you'll find a solution to each problem. Keep on telling yourself slowly and confidently that you are deeply relaxed and in full control.

Repeat those words like a mantra. Your mind will believe you. You'll become just that -- calm, relaxed and perfectly composed. And you'll be in the best position to do what must be done.

Your mind has no mind, so to speak. It merely absorbs and reacts accordingly. Like a small child, it believes implicitly everything you tell it.

Mind your language when you talk to yourself because that child is listening all the time. Say to yourself repeatedly that you are the strong, competent person you want to be -- and your mind will use its magical powers of transformation to turn you into just such an individual.