Why You Need To STOP Listening To Yourself (And START Talking To Yourself)
- Jan 21, 2022
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 22, 2022
Written by: Sarah Moody, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
How many times has someone ever told you to “listen” to yourself?
It comes up a lot right? Listen to your gut, listen to your intuition, listen to your heart, listen listen listen.
But I want you to STOP LISTENING TO YOURSELF FOR A SECOND.
When people talk about listening to yourself, I know they mean well. But do you know what my inner monologue sounds like?
“You’re not smart enough for that.” “That person’s more creative than you are.” “You shouldn’t eat that.” “You’re the only one in the room who didn’t go to an Ivy League school.”
IT’S A HOT MESS. And maybe yours sounds similar.
Thankfully, I now have super powerful cognitive tools that I can use to recognize that none of that is true. But before I found coaching, I was just listening to the constant negative talk track inside my head all day long. It’s a wonder I was even functional!
And to be honest, looking back, I wasn’t THAT functional. Listening to myself was getting me TERRIBLE results. And I’m pretty sure the same is true for you! Because your primitive Puppy Brain’s entire job is to 1) scan for danger 2) seek pleasure 3) conserve energy. In modern day that translates to: be anxious about how much work you have to do, eat a cookie, answer emails instead of working on the project you need to finish.
If that’s where you are right now: good news! Your human brain is functioning perfectly!
But I doubt those behaviors are creating results you love.
If you’ve been listening to the negative chatter in your head, it’s time to stop and flip the script. It’s your CEO brain’s turn to talk. You can create a powerful INTENTIONAL talk track and teach it to your primitive Puppy Brain.
In fact, if you have ever practiced mindfulness or meditation, you already know how to practice this skill. You just need to apply it to all the other areas of your life!
Here’s what my intentional talk track sounds like:
“I’m a bada** woman in tech.”
“I can figure anything out.” “I deliver mindblowing results for my clients.”
“I love failure.”
What would your powerful talk track sound like?
If this resonates with you, but your brain goes blank when you try to think of a new talk track, I’ve been there! Coaching can help. Because coaching is about creating new thoughts, new behaviors, and new results, that YOU CHOOSE.
You are already a powerhouse. You just have to TELL YOURSELF that fact, and then believe it.
Sarah Moody, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Sarah is the only certified coach who:
Recovered from decades of anorexia and bulimia.
Has been a tech veteran for the past 20 years and started a company from scratch after getting fired from a job in 2001. Clients are some of the largest software enterprises in the world, and the company has grown by over 400% in revenue.
Has coached hundreds of clients and is on a mission to help other high achievers like herself, break through burnout and bring magic back into their career and life.
