I talk to myself. A lot. And before you judge me, I know you do it too. We all do. It’s just that some of us have mastered the art of whispering so people don’t assume we need professional help
For the longest time, I thought self-talk was just my brain’s way of entertaining itself. Until one day, I got caught.
I was standing in line at a grocery store, debating — out loud — whether I should buy the overpriced organic peanut butter or stick with my usual budget-friendly option.
Me: “Okay, listen. The organic one is healthier, fewer chemicals, good for the heart.”
Also Me: “Yeah, but is my heart ready to pay ₹500 for peanut butter? My wallet is already hyperventilating.”
Stranger behind me: “You know I can hear you, right?”
Great. Now I had to choose between looking like a lunatic or committing to the bit. So, I turned to him and said, “Oh, I always run business meetings with my brain in public.” He laughed. I walked away. Without the peanut butter.
But this got me thinking — what we say to ourselves matters. Imagine if every conversation you had with yourself was being live-streamed. Would you still talk the same way? Probably not. Because half of the time, we talk to ourselves like we’re our own worst enemies.
“You always mess things up.”
“You’re not good enough for this.”
“Why are you so awkward?!”
Now, imagine talking to a friend like that. You wouldn’t. (Unless your goal is to lose all your friends and become a lonely philosopher who only communicates in signs.)
Instead, what if we changed our self-talk? What if, instead of “I’m such an idiot,” we said, “Okay, that was dumb, but I can fix it.” Or instead of “I’m a failure,” we said, “I’m still figuring things out.”
The way we talk to ourselves shapes the way we feel, the way we act, and eventually, the way we live. So, let’s be kind. Let’s be encouraging. And if we must argue with ourselves in public, let’s at least do it confidently.
Because at the end of the day — whether you’re debating peanut butter choices or hyping yourself up for life — self-talk isn’t crazy. Negative self-talk is.
And as the great Muhammad Ali once said, “It’s the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen.”