How to Use Constructive Self-talk to Overcome Your Trash-talking Brain

What do you do when confronted with those dry spells of feeling overwhelmed, underachieving, and lacking in creativity on the job?

As an entrepreneurial physician business coach who has been “at it” for many years, I know what it's like to stare blankly at a computer screen or submit a proposal and wait weeks or sometimes even months before daring to request a response or be turned down by a prospective client.

Sometimes this entrepreneurial thing just feels like plain old work.

Having recently watched a lot of NCAA college basketball on television and attended many UCLA games in the past, I have been struck by all the trash talking that goes on between competitive players. This got me thinking about the non-stop trash talking that goes on in our brains.

See if this is familiar! Does yours sound something like this?

"I really need to make that phone call or send an e-mail to X today." "You’ll make an idiot of yourself. The reason why they didn't call back is they've already picked someone else; they don't think you're any good. You probably charged too much." "Well, I don't want them to think I'm bugging them, so maybe I should wait a day or two." "It's not going to make a difference -- you're not going to get the business anyway!" "So what should I do next? All I really want to do is surf the net to plan my next trip."

Spend enough time listening to that kind of inner chatter and anyone would soon want to throw in the towel.

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