December 26, 2022 at 4:38 pm

Stop Saying These 10 Phrases if You Want to Sound and Feel More Confident

by Matthew Gilligan

It’s time to turn it all around today, folks!

And we’re going to do it today!

Because a lot of us are WAY too hard on ourselves and, to be honest, we need to give ourselves a break.

So here are 10 phrases you need to stop saying (and what you should say instead) so you’ll have the confidence to get out there and take on the world the best way you can.

Let’s take a look.

1. “I have to do that.”

Instead, say “I get to do that.”

Just by changing that one little word, you’ll change your attitude. Look at every task as an opportunity instead of an obligation.

You’ll learn a lot of valuable things when you do this!

2. “I can’t do that.”

You should say “I can try to do that” instead.

When you say “I can’t do that”, you’re putting the cart before the horse, so to speak, and admitting defeat before you even start.

Go ahead and give it your best shot! You’ll probably surprise yourself!

3. “I should do that.”

Depending on the task, you should either say “I will do that” or “I won’t do that.”

When you say “should”, you put pressure on yourself. So put yourself in charge and make a definitive statement.

It’s up to you!

4. “Why is this happening to me?”

You need to start saying “What am I learning from this?” instead of the phrase above.

When you flip the script like this, you can turn something negative into a learning experience that will benefit you in the future. Think of it as looking for a silver lining in every situation.

5. “I never should have…”

We all make mistakes in life and it can be easy to get down on ourselves. But saying this phrase only makes things worse and is counter-productive.

Instead, try saying “Because I did that, I now know…”.

This will force you to remember the positive things about every situation.

Life is about learning from our mistakes and doing better in the future!

6. “I failed.”

Get that word out of your mouth!

Say “This attempt didn’t work” instead of “I failed” and you’ll have a more positive outlook and you’ll remind yourself that you’ll have more opportunities in the future.

7. “This is too complicated.”

It can get easy to get dragged down in the weeds in any task you’re doing and feel like it’s too hard or out of your wheelhouse.

But when you say “I don’t understand this right now” instead of “This is too complicated”, you’re telling yourself that you will figure it out in the future when you’re ready to tackle the problem again.

Try it! It works!

8. “It’s not fair.”

This is a big one.

Yes, we all know that life isn’t fair, but instead of screaming that phrase at the sky, say “I can deal with it anyway!” and you’ll set yourself up for success.

Face your challenges, do your best, and you’ll figure it out!

9. “It’s never going to change.”

It’s easy to feel stuck and unfulfilled in life, but saying this to yourself isn’t going to help your situation.

Instead, put yourself in charge and say “I can change the way I approach this.” Now you’re in control of the situation and you’ll be in a better position to solve the problem.

10. “Never” (or “always”).

And finally, it’s best to avoid absolutes altogether in your speech and your thoughts.

Look at things in your life objectively and remember that nothing is black and white.

Put things into context and you’ll be on your way to feeling confident about yourself.

Good luck out there!

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