QBQ- 7 steps to self-talk Success

 Seven Steps to Self-Talk Success

Rick Santelli, on-air editor and reporter for CNBC, from his remote location at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, recently expressed his frustration and disillusionment over the United States’ debt problem. He did so by challenging his New York City-based on-screen team comprised of financial professionals with this statement: “I'd like to see if you run your personal finances that way." Just as the show cut to a break, viewers heard two gentlemen—brilliant financial minds, I'm sure—squeeze in this dismissive retort:

“It's different.”

Let’s not debate monetary fiscal policy today—and this is not a political statement. I can only say that in my simple Ivy League educated thinking I disagreed with their response. I believe any and all budgets should be in the black. Corporate budgets, family budgets, church budgets, nonprofit budgets—and government budgets. I know many of you do, too. I also know that my only famous friend—Dave Ramsey—would be all over their response like a cheap suit.

Anyway, I decided to post the CNBC exchange on my Twitter account and a follower responded with a great line:

“Leave it to the experts to get it wrong."

I loved it. Not just because this person also feels no entity should spend more than it takes in, but because the truth is "experts"—in any field—do get things wrong. They do make mistakes.

Just look at Peyton Manning and Brett Favre.

Two future NFL hall-of-famer quarterbacks who intellectually know that they should not throw interceptions. But, of course, it happens. And each of them has at least one interception to his credit that stands out as a total mental lapse and athletic error.

One occurred this past weekend. In the second overtime period of a hard-fought game against the Baltimore Ravens, the Denver Bronco’s $96,000,000-over-five-years quarterback—Mr. Manning—did the unthinkable. While rolling to his right under intense pressure by the Raven’s defense, he did exactly what he KNOWS he should never do: He threw the pigskin back across his chest to his left. His weak and inaccurate pass landed in the hands of a Ravens' defender. Minutes later Baltimore kicked a field goal to win the game, leaving all of us in Colorado stunned, to say the least.

The other ill-advised throw involves one Mr. Brett Farve—and every perennially heart-broken Minnesota Vikings fan reading this QuickNote remembers it all too well. In the NFC Championship game against the New Orleans Saints a few short years ago, he did the exact same thing Manning did to end a magical Vikings’ season.

Two brilliant quarterbacks. Two men who’ve lived and breathed football since they were six years old. Two experts, who made huge, season stopping mistakes.

And they both knew better.

I share all of this for this reason: We all make mistakes—even the experts.

Quick question: Do you know any fools? Well, if you know me, then you know one. I have made many foolish mistakes. I have said foolish things, I have committed foolish errors.

But, when I see the “professionals” get it wrong or make mistakes, it causes me to reflect on what should happen when I make my next mistake. Instead of self-defeating self-talk like, “Stupid, stupid me!” “How could I be so dumb?” “When am I going to stop doing stuff like this?” or simply “Idiot!” it would be far better to process it all with healthy, accountable self-talk. Founded on the QBQ! The Question Behind the Question method for practicing personal accountability, here are the …
 

Seven Steps to Self-Talk Success

1. Admit the mistake. “Hey, it happened.”
2. Own the mistake. “Yes, I did it. No Excuses!”
3. Understand the mistake. “How exactly did it go wrong?”
4. Explore the mistake’s impact. “What are the consequences of my error?”
5. Make amends for the mistake. “What person do I need to apologize to?”
6. Learn from the mistake. “How can I grow from this?”
7. Move beyond the mistake. “What can I do to let go of it?”

The reality is we are all human and we all blow it. The critical question for each of us is this:

How do I treat myself afterward?   

Have you made a mistake recently? If so, apply the Seven Steps to Self-Talk Success. Doing so is a practical and healthy way to learn, grow, and change. And then email me at John@QBQ.com and let me know how it went. I’d love to hear!

And remember, if you ever have the chance to quarterback an NFL playoff game, just take the sack. It beats throwing an interception every time.
 
PS: Shipping autographed "Parenting the QBQ Way" books with FREE shipping here: https://qbq.com/store/products.php?product=Parenting-the-QBQ-Way!

 

John G. Miller
Author/Speaker
Denver, Colorado
John@QBQ.com