In this episode of Do The Work | Mindset Mastery…

I had a real conversation with myself—and with you—about something we all deal with but rarely confront: negative self-talk.

There’s a lot of talk out there about surrounding yourself with the right people, the right environment, the right energy. But what if the loudest, most destructive voice holding you back is your own? That was the gut check I had recently. This episode is about identifying that internal dialogue—the one that chips away at your confidence, breaks your momentum, and quietly convinces you that you're not enough. I’m here to call it out, and I hope you do the same.

I opened up with the idea that we tend to blame our lack of results on the people or situations around us. “If only I had better support... If only I had different friends... If only I went to a different school.” And while your surroundings domatter, they don’t follow you 24/7. You do. Your thoughts do. That voice in your head? It's with you all the time. And for most people, it’s brutal.

I broke down how this inner voice often defaults to self-sabotage. We say things like, “I always mess this up,” “I can’t figure this out,” “I’m not good at that,” and somehow we think those statements are just facts. They're not. They're stories—usually planted by someone else and watered by us over the years until they feel real.

I used the example of how I check my daughters immediately when they start using language like “I always fail” or “I can’t.” I do it because I know how damaging that type of speech can be if left unchecked. We would never allow someone to speak to our kids that way. But we allow it from ourselves. And we do it every day.

I also talked about that water experiment from a Japanese researcher. Two containers of water were spoken to—one with love and gratitude, the other with hate and insults. When frozen, the one with positivity formed beautiful crystals. The other? Chaotic mess. That’s how powerful energy is. Our thoughts carry weight. They shape everything—our behavior, our momentum, our outcomes.

You want to grow your business? You want to improve your relationships? It starts in your head. The problem isn’t your marketing skills, or your tech knowledge, or the people around you. It’s what you believe about yourself when no one else is around. And if you don’t change that story, you’ll keep fighting the same internal war day after day—exhausted and stuck.

Listen, it’s easy to point fingers—to blame your environment, your upbringing, even your brokerage. But the truth is, the battle is in your mind. The biggest tyrant you face is the voice inside you. So check that voice. Challenge those stories. Remember all the times you overcame, all the times you pushed through. Use that as fuel. Because we still have seven months to turn this year around—and I know you’re capable of it. I see it in you, even if you don’t yet. Reader Engagement Questions

1. How often do you catch yourself using negative language about your abilities?
2. Where do you think those stories about your limitations originally came from?
3. What are some personal wins you’ve had that prove you’re capable?
4. How would your life change if you spoke to yourself like you speak to someone you love?
5. What’s one phrase of positive self-talk you can commit to saying daily for the rest of the year? Notable Quotes

• “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with. What if one of those people is you?”
• “If you said out loud to someone else the things you say to yourself, it would be considered abuse.”
• “Thoughts are energy. Words are energy. And what you water will grow.”
• “Your business isn’t struggling because of a lack of skill—it’s struggling because of how you talk to yourself.”
• “You’ve overcome more than you give yourself credit for. It’s time to remind yourself of that daily.”

 

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