Four lessons from our self-talk: lesson 1

Lesson 1:  “I can’t do that” or “I’m too lazy”

When you hear yourself utter or think either of these phrases you need to pause and reflect.  It is easy to say them in a self-depreciating way and think you are joking, but it is worth asking what is really behind this convenient cop-out.  Ask yourself:-

1. Why don’t you want to do this?
2. What are you seeking to avoid?
3. What would happen if you tried and failed?
4. What is the worst that could happen?
5. What is the next actionable step?
6. What are you doing that is more important?
7. What would you gain by doing this?

It maybe it is perfectly sensible to choose not to do it, but if that is the case, say so, it is much more empowering.  And take a moment to explain your choice. 

It has been said, if you want something doing, give it to a busy man (or woman!)  The (kinda) converse of this is the quote mistakenly ascribed to Bill Gates “I choose a lazy man to do a hard job, because a lazy person will the easy way to do it” and I can relate to this as I always look for the easy way to achieve a task, and have always explained as due to my loathing of hard work!

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 12th, 2015 at 08:00 and is filed under Communication, Hints, Tips & Techniques, Personal Change. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.