Positive self-talk isn’t a new concept; it’s a Scriptural one. Paul writes, ‘Fix your thoughts on what is true… honourable… right… pure… lovely, and admirable… things that are excellent and worthy of praise.’ Here are three ways you can do that:

(1) Avoid comparisons. Each of us has a different skill set. You’re unique. The way you do things may differ from the techniques of others, but that doesn’t make it wrong. There’s almost always more than one way to achieve the same end-goal. Comparison is unwise, unfair, and fosters negativity. Unless you’re the reigning world champion, there’ll always be somebody better than you at a specific skill. So what? You don’t need another tiara!

(2) Tack on hope. The Bible says, ‘Even when there was no reason for hope, Abraham kept hoping—believing that he would become the father of many nations. For God had said to him, “That’s how many descendants you will have!”’ (Romans 4:18 NLT) And the psalmist said, ‘I will yet praise Him, my Saviour and my God.’ (Psalm 42:5 NIV) There’s power in the word ‘yet’. It can miraculously transform your ‘I can’t’ perspective, into ‘I can with a little more time’. The difference is subtle but profound.

(3) Act positively to actually become positive. In Winning the Stress Challenge Dr Nick Hall cites a study confirming that signals transmitted to a person’s brain when they’re behaving a certain way provoke similar physical and mental changes to those elicited by real emotional responses. In other words, putting on a happy face can truly make you feel happier. Try it!