Tell Yourself the Right Stuff

If you want to accomplish something, try reminding yourself regularly that you persist without exception. Doing so helps ensure that you really do persist without exception, and you’ll find reaching your goal easier.

In other words, tell yourself the right stuff.

That isn’t some woo-woo thing either; our brains believe what we consistently tell ourselves, so long as what we tell ourselves isn’t in the realm of outlandishness.

(Standing in front of a mirror while you tell yourself that you’re twelve feet tall and invincible isn’t going to get you anywhere, but telling yourself something that you can actually believe to be true will get you places.)

I have always been a hugely tenacious person, so it’s easy for me to believe that I persist without exception. Repeating it to myself each day serves to further reinforce that notion. It also provides encouragement and improves how I see myself.

But what if I had trouble persisting and wanted to improve? In that case, I’d start by telling myself something related that was believable.

For example, chances are there’s something I successfully persisted at in the past that was at least a little bit difficult. It could be really small, like opening a jar that was stuck shut. I could start out by keeping that small example in mind while telling myself that I persist without exception, and then look for other areas where I persist in order to further validate what I’m telling myself.

I could build up to bigger and more difficult examples, and all the while I would improve at persisting because I’ve kept the notion top of mind and believable.

Tell yourself the right stuff, and your goals will be that much easier to achieve.