Page 22 - 2018 September Voices
P. 22
TERRY TALKS
Developing Confidence Is An
Inside Job: Incubating A More
Positive Me
Terry Beard
All the squelching and discouragement that I work to bolster my confidence. The more I grew
experienced during my formative years left my self-confidence, the less I cared about what
me with a legacy of a steady stream of negative others thought of me. It was my opinion of me
self-talk. I bombarded myself with stinkin’ that counted!
thinkin’ and became my own critical parent. Not What we think about on the inside, comes
Good Enough! My critical, ongoing, Not Good through on the outside. Once I reclaimed positive
Enough self-talk continued to echo through my thoughts by banishing with the critical parent
consciousness until the negative self-talk was within me, my ability to overcome fear of public
my daily mantra, a ritual habit of sabotaging speaking accelerated at the speed in which I
myself. I had become what I had been taught believed in the new me.
to believe, that I am Not Good Enough. These Going to the podium or the lectern to give
negative scripts were reinforced over and over an awesome speech is more than doing deep
again Not Good Enough. knee-bends beforehand to loosen up, avoiding
If I was going to stop sabotaging myself, I had coffee and booze, having a good night’s sleep,
to learn some new scripts, positive self-talk, an and practicing the speech umpteen times,
inner nurturing parent. Good Enough. Once I before addressing the audience. The how-to
embraced the new script reminding me that I books and internet articles on giving a great
was Good Enough, I was launched on the inside presentation have already been written, but
The more I grew my self-confidence, the less
I cared about what others thought of me. It
was my opinion of me that counted!
22 ONE COMMUNITY
