What Did I Say? The 7 Words That Can Hold You Back

Your inner conversation, also known as self-talk, exerts more influence over your attitude, achievement, time, success, happiness, relationships, and overall prosperity than you can imagine. Self-talk is best defined as the thoughts and words you use to describe you and what you are doing.

Regardless of whether your inner conversation remains in your head or is expressed out loud to others, there are seven words that can hold you back. These words are: hard, difficult, tough, impossible, can’t, try and never, and usually make an appearance when referencing future actions, especially those related to adversity.

Why should you stop using these seven words? Aside from focusing on the negative, they generate additional mental adversity to overcome and sow seeds of doubt that prevent you from making a full commitment.

Do you occasionally find yourself saying, this is going to be hard, writing is tough for me, or I will never finish this book? Is there some blanket rule that says something will be hard, tough or difficult, or that you will never get something done?

Have you ever heard a coach tell their team a game will be tough, difficult or impossible to win? Of course not. He or she would never plant such a thought virus into the heads of their players.

When you approach the writing and promotion of your book or plan to give a keynote speech, use self-talk that affirms and supports what you are going to do. Thinking and saying, I can do this, is a great example of affirmative self-talk that opens pathways to producing your best effort.

Right about now, you are probably wondering what I suggest you think and say in place of the seven words you should drop from your self-talk vocabulary. In my view, simply referring to a response or future action as a challenge is preferable because it does not generate mental adversity. An example of its use would be, writing this book is going to be a real challenge. A statement that readies you for the path that lies ahead.

In the midst of a crisis, intentionally referring to actions as challenges might seem trivial, ridiculous, or uncomfortable at first. What you will soon experience, however, is a
noticeable difference in the way you think and feel when using the word challenge in place of a more negative expression.

Referring to intentions and actions as challenges sets the stage for mental clarity, optimism, possibility thinking, inspired action, creativity, and aha moments.

Establishing clear goals and intentions and then crafting an inner conversation that supports them is crucial to making self-talk your most important resource and greatest ally in achievement. If you have trouble keeping the seven words I mentioned unsaid, remember this sage advice from many a wise mother, if you can’t say something positive, don’t say anything at all.

About the author:

Michael J. Russ is an international bestselling author, an inspiring speaker/trainer, and the founder of Zero Adversity Training. He is intensely passionate about passing on practical concepts anyone can use to craft a happy, fulfilling, productive, healthy, and well balanced life. Russ is reachable for comments or questions via email at inquiry@michaeljruss.com.

Copyright©2016 Powerful Living International LLC. This article may not be copied, reprinted or used in any way without written permission of the author.

Cable Car Mystery

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On the hottest day of the year in San Francisco in 1959, Private Detectives Sam and Amelia Slater are contemplating fleeing the city for their Stinson Beach house. However, when Sam decides to take a cable car ride to run some errands on the lazy summer day, he’s suddenly thrust into the spotlight when he rescues a woman who fell onto the busy street. Sam pulls the mysterious red haired woman out of the path of an oncoming cable car in the nick of time. The entire incident is captured by a newspaper photographer who splashes Sam’s heroics all over the front page. Sam is troubled not only by his new status as a city hero, but by the rescued woman’s plea for help. She whispers to Sam that she didn’t fall from the cable car but was pushed. She is frightened and disappears into the crowd before Sam can get more details. A San Francisco newspaper launches a campaign to find the mystery woman and Sam hopes to cross paths with her again.

Meanwhile, Amelia is troubled by the sudden disappearance of her elderly neighbor. Two thuggish younger men who now occupy the house next door say he took a sudden trip. One night when she’s alone Amelia grabs a flashlight and finds some disturbing clues in her neighbor’s garage. What really happened to her neighbor? Amelia is determined to find out. Award winning author Greg Messel spins a new tale of intrigue in Cable Car Mystery, the sixth book in the Sam Slater Mystery series set in at the 1950s in San Francisco.




Greg Messel has spent most of his adult life interested in writing, including a career in the newspaper business. He won a Wyoming Press Association Award as a columnist and has contributed articles to various magazines. Greg lives in Edmonds, Washington on Puget Sound with his wife Jean DeFond.

Greg has written nine novels. His latest is “Cable Car Mystery; which is the sixth in a series of mysteries set in 1959 San Francisco. For more information on Greg's other novels go to www.gregmessel.com.