One can find books galore about the power of positive self-talk for individuals and groups. Though it’s easy for me to scoff at this idea filling an entire book, I’m also reminded that this concept is an effective tool for personal development. In a society that often sides toward negative self-talk, it’s important to recognize that the feelings and expressions we have about ourselves often affect the relationships we have with friends and family. And this practice is beneficial at any age.
One activity in our Work It Out program strives to dispel this cultural attitude of negative self-talk and prompts girls to acknowledge their strengths and positives. The program leader distinguishes between bragging and recognizing our strengths, and then encourages girls to write down one thing for each of the following areas:
- Talent or gift they possess
- Achievement for which they are proud
- Something they want to learn more about
- Personal quality
- Something no one else, or few people, knows about them.
In her own words, Kayla shares her positives with us below.
Often the act of writing down the things we already know about ourselves can further ingrain them into our attitude, and thus actions. Inspired by Kayla, a participant in our Work It Out program last fall? Write your own list for the questions above! Have you observed the power of positive self-talk?
