Words matter. We've all heard the saying, "It's not what you say, but how you say it." How true! But that little pearl of wisdom doesn't just apply to interactions with other people.
How are we talking to ourselves? Our self-talk is just as important. Words matter.
For example, let's say you've made a mistake. Do you think, "I'm an idiot! Why can't I do this right?" A better thought would be, "I made a mistake. Now I have an opportunity to learn something from it."
Have you ever thought about an unpleasant task, chore, or event that you don't want to do but have to? "I REALLY don't want to do this. This is going to be awful. How am I going to get through it?" Try, just for a day, to change internal messages to yourself into positive ones. "I get to attend this meeting and learn to manage boredom better," or, "I get to be challenged by this project and learn something new," or, "I get to do the food shopping so we have tasty food to eat for the week," or, "I want to wash those dishes so I can see the clean dishes neatly stacked in the dish drainer."
Watch for negative words in your self-talk, too. Instead of, "I won't do this," think "I'm going to avoid this." Instead of, "I don't like X," think "I prefer Y over X."
Listen to your self talk. Change negatives into positives. You'll be surprised at the difference that one little change will make in your attitude. Words matter.