Here's What People Get Wrong About Positive Self-Talk

I learned early that the way you speak to yourself shapes how you move through life, and those quiet words became the reason I kept going long before I had proof that I could.

I didn’t know it then, but I was teaching my brain to believe in my own strength. Years later, science confirmed what I had already lived, your thoughts and words can literally rewire your mind to see possibility where fear once lived.

Positive self-talk has become a buzzword, but it is often misunderstood. It isn’t standing in front of a mirror pretending everything is perfect. It isn’t ignoring pain or difficulty.

Real positive self-talk is honest, compassionate, and forward-focused. It is the voice that says, “This is hard, but I can handle it,” instead of “This is too much for me.” It is replacing judgment with guidance. It is reminding yourself that mistakes are feedback, not failure.

When used this way, positive self-talk becomes one of the most powerful tools for mental clarity, resilience, and leadership.

Through the years I began to understand what my intuition already knew. The brain listens to what it hears most often. Every word we repeat creates a signal that strengthens a pathway in the mind. Those pathways influence how we focus, decide, and recover from setbacks.

What once felt like instinct is now supported by neuroscience, and it confirms something I have lived for years, your words shape your world long before your actions catch up.

When I started sharing this message through Get Up and Thrive, I wanted people to see that mindset work is not abstract. It is daily, practical, and measurable.

The words you choose become the framework for how you manage stress, how you handle conflict, and how you chase opportunity. For women especially, self-talk is not a motivational trend, it is a strategic foundation.

I have worked with women who are strong, visionary, and successful, yet still driven by quiet self-criticism. They manage businesses and households, guide teams, and make powerful decisions, but their inner tone is harsh or uncertain. They can encourage everyone else, but struggle to extend that same compassion inward.

What I remind them is that your mind takes your words as instruction. When you speak with doubt, you teach your brain to hesitate. When you speak with clarity and direction, you teach your brain to move.

Try auditing your self-talk. Spend a few days listening to what you tell yourself about your goals, your work, and your abilities. Write down what you notice. Then ask whether those phrases are facts or habits. Most of the time, they are old habits pretending to be truth.

Replace “I’m not ready” with “I’m preparing.” Replace “I always mess this up” with “I’m learning how to do this better.” Over time, these small adjustments begin to shift how you respond under pressure.

Consistency matters more than intensity. You do not need an hour-long routine or a long list of affirmations. You only need to be intentional for a few moments each day.

Start your morning by speaking clarity over your day before the world speaks noise into it. End your day by reminding yourself of what went right. These small conversations build emotional stamina, and they prepare your mind to stay balanced when life becomes unpredictable.

When I founded Get Up and Thrive, it was never about selling motivation. It was about giving women practical tools to use their own voice as power.

Every workshop, every post, and every Positive Self-Talk Sunday is rooted in the same principle I discovered as a kid, your words shape your reality. Science confirms it, experience proves it, and women everywhere live it. When you choose your language with care, you create the space to grow into who you were meant to be.

If you have been feeling uncertain, disconnected, or stuck, start with your own voice. Notice what you say when no one is around to hear it. The next time you catch yourself repeating an old limitation, pause and change the sentence.

Replace criticism with truth. Replace judgment with curiosity. The more you do it, the more natural it becomes.

Your story is not waiting for permission, it is waiting for your participation. Speak to yourself as someone already capable, already learning, already thriving.

When your words support your goals, your actions will follow.

You can Get Up & Thrive by using your words as a super-power rather than your reason to stay stuck.

That is where real transformation begins, from within.

Hey, Hey. What are you telling yourself today? A little positive self-talk goes a long way. From peace of mind to a larger piece of the pie.

Tell yourself what you need to hear to Get Up & Thrive.