One of the biggest reasons, perhaps the biggest reason people don't succeed in achieving their dreams is negative self talk. You will have what you say, positive or negative, whether your speaking it or circulating it in your thoughts. You can generate negative self talk yourself or it can be placed in your head by someone else. But even if someone else puts it there, you have the choice of believing it, leaving it there or banishing it. What choice have you made?

Though I am 52 years old I can vividly remember my sixth grade teacher looking at my artwork and making a disparaging remark about my lack of artistic skill. To this day I remember how that made me feel and when I remember it I feel that way all over again. All my life I've wanted so much to be able to draw or paint; but whenever I have thought about giving it a try, the picture in my head of my sixth grade teacher appears in my head and I tell myself I don't have any talent. So all these years I haven't tried to draw or paint though I have a burning desire too. Do YOU give your power away to others?

Sometimes negative self talk becomes so ingrained it becomes a habit and one doesn't even realize how much negative self talk they are doing or how much it is impacting their life. It was a turning point for me when I reached the point where I could admit that I did as much negative self talk as I did. You have to admit it to yourself before you can stop it. What about you? Think about it. How much negative self-talk do you do? How do you think it has held you back personally and/or professionally?

Negative self-talk limits you and your enjoyment of life. It is a self-made prison where nothing good can flourish. In my life I've had a really long battle with Lupus which I am now in remission from for two years. Lupus, as much as it turned my life upside-down, was also a blessing, a great teacher. One of the many things it taught me was to NOT let anything or anybody limit my life. It taught me we were meant to be alive not just in body but in spirit; experiencing all the joy life can give. As Kierkegard said, " Life can only be understood backwards, but it's meant to be lived forwards." You can't live forward if you're saying negative self-talk speeches to yourself.

I don't know you but I know something about you from your choice to read this article. Today you can change your future by resolving to change your thoughts starting right now. Just as I have resolved to spend my next vacation trying my hand at drawing and painting.