A good question can unlock the universe.
As a coach, I make a habit of collecting them.
One that hit me the other day was:
If I could help someone build only ONE habit, what would it be?
Based upon all my experience, the answer jumped out at me: centered self-talk.
This is basically the practice of bringing the best OF yourself, TO yourself.
In other words, it's the act of showing up as a leader and friend, and engaging yourself in conversation, problem solving, reflection, and motivation.
I've found that most guys have pretty good leadership and friendship skills already.
They know how to help people solve problems, handle emotions, and even inspire others.
Even if you're not world class at any of those things, most guys at least get the basics.
The tragedy is that so few guys actually share that power WITH THEMSELVES.
All you need to do is tune into your emotions, see what they are saying, and then respond to them.
Sometimes you need to solve a problem or make a decision.
Sometimes you need to sort through your goals, plans, and priorities.
Sometimes you need to process negative emotions and give yourself encouragement or affirmation.
Sometimes you just need to remind yourself to lighten up and laugh!
In short, the best habit is to regularly take the time to pay attention to yourself!
Personally, I try to do this in my own head whenever I have a down moment.
The biggest issue is that centered self-talk can be so fluid and amorphous that it can be difficult to really practice it enough to internalize the habit.
The simplest method is to have some structured
journaling/voice memo discipline where you sit down and have a meeting with yourself every day.
If you get this down, you'll find that this not only solves a huge chunk of your problems, it will automatically will lead to you building additional positive habits.
UYAP
Mark Queppet
P.S.The best way I know how to build that voice is through daily interaction with a trusted community like the Vanguard. We have restructured the Vanguard Elite tier offering and by using code NEWELITE at checkout you can grab a literal once-in-a-lifetime discount to sign up for just $35.75/mo