Positive Self Talk! – Life improvement strategies for the surgeon who wants more … in 10 minutes – Episode 47

Pump the brakes on your week and take 10 minutes to make your life as a surgeon just a little better…

In this episode of the mini-podcast, Jeff welcomes Dr. Errin Weisman. 

Errin is an osteopathic family practice doctor and physician coach. She is also the creator of the website TruthRX’s. 

How can we expect to perform our best with a negative voice telling us what we’re incapable of and what we cannot accomplish? Jeff highlights that he, like many of us, has been driven by negative thoughts that motivated him and pushed him to work harder through the early part of his career. In the long run though, this was not a sustainable strategy. What if you could recognize when this is no longer working for you? What if you could spark that high accomplishment with positive thoughts? 

Errin believes we can. And she says the power is within us to choose who we listen to. 

In limited doses, negative talk can help us. Think of the athlete with the proverbial chip-on-my-shoulder attitude. This negative motivational technique can serve us well, AND it has its limitations. Instead of allowing negativity to reign, Errin says we can move forward and grow more by shifting and changing our inner voice to serve us better. 

What does Errin suggest we do to start?

Step 1 – Gain Awareness. Take note of what your inner voice is saying – good, bad, or ugly.

Step 2 – Develop a positive voice. Pair your negative voice with a positive one to serve you better.

Step 3 – Practice! Train to put your positive self-talk into action when you recognize your negative inner voice speaking up.

Most importantly, find your inner advocate! Positive self-talk can dramatically improve our ability to accomplish goals and continue to perform at our best!