5/30/2013

Self-talk

13



Whenever I'm walking around the garden
I have all kinds of conversations with myself.  Often in times past,
the voice in my head has been quite critical.  But lately,
I'm learning to not be so hard on myself when things don't succeed out there 
and to focus more on the things that do ... simple affirmations, if you like.


This particular evening, I was feeling grateful to see I'd made the right choice
by keeping the bean seedlings protected the past couple of weeks.  Days of rain 
combined with below-normal cold nights
are not a Borlotti's best friend
[ and you know how much I love my Borlotti's! ]
Any sun we did have
was captured by their thermal row cover ...

I can tell they've appreciated it.


Transparency during the rosy glow at sunset sent me running for my camera.
Look at that little plant on the right, reaching ...
Oh, that's grand.

Then as luck would have it, while editing images for this post this morning
a link arrived from one of the photographers I follow, John Paul Caponigro,
with the intriguing title, "Engage Your Inner Coach." 
Since conversing with myself  ~ in a positive way ~ was such a big topic last evening, 
I headed over there for a read.
He rarely disappoints, pictorially and otherwise.  Here's a snippet I loved:


You've heard it all before too. "You're just like ... you always ...
you never ... you'll never ... why try ..."
As Carla Gordon said, "If someone in your life talked to you
the way you talk to yourself,
you would have left them long ago."


Well now.  Ok, yes ... this I have done.  
So on I read:


When you talk about yourself or your work, do you use positive or negative words?
The words we use can be very revealing about our orientations,
 attitudes and beliefs. Many times, when we speak about ourselves,
if we speak about ourselves,
we downplay our abilities and accomplishments.
It's true that no one likes a raving egomaniac. But, there's a
real difference between arrogance and confidence.
Confidence is attractive and inspiring; arrogance isn't; neither is insecurity.
Don't let your insecurities get the best of you.
Be careful not to talk yourself down, cut yourself short,
or fall completely silent.
Instead, learn to speak simply and directly about yourself and your work
and above all share your enthusiasm ...

How important is this?
Consider how much money is spent every year
on motivational resources like books, videos, lectures, workshops, and more.
The figures are enormous. That's how important it is to other people.
Ask yourself, "What's the price of not doing it?"
That's far greater ...

: : :


If you've stuck with me this far and are still reading this, perhaps you're
seeing yourself in his words like I did?
There's so much more ~ to read John's entire post, click HERE.
Don't miss his stupendous image Gallery while you're over there.  He is one of the greats.




13 comments:

  1. Beautiful borlottis and lovely words - thank you for posting!

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    1. Verna, thanks so much for stopping by here, but more importantly, for the kind words.
      Always nice to know that a post resonates with another soul ... ;>]

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  2. Hi Christi, this is Marti, newly moved from TN to Rio Rancho, NM. I read your comment on grace's blog so I wrote there that I would come here and write a fuller answer. We moved last Monday to NM and yes, I do read your blog every day because you have a way with visuals aka photos and words that just enriches me. On the days when you don't post an entry, I still come and savor the previous one. Plus now and then, I like to check out the blogs on your sidebar. I guess you could say I am a silent visitor but I will do a better job of commenting from now on.

    This move to NM was some time in planning but we kept it to ourselves not sure if we could pull it off. grace didn't even know until April because I wanted to be absolutely sure. After the humidity of TN, we were ready for a change and New Mexico is a land that we know well as we have family and dear grace here. I'm always up for a landscape adventure and learning to live in the high desert is certainly an adventure. There is an added bonus in that we are so much closer to California where our children and grandchildren reside.

    The words that you wrote today, simple affirmations well, I could use one today especially in terms of our gardening here: My husband Rich and I are gardeners from way back; everywhere we have lived, since we retired and left CA, Maui, Washington, Texas and Tennessee, to travel and see this country of ours,we have gardened with treat success until now...

    rAs I write this, the three tomato plants that we planted here even before we had finished unpacking boxes have become dinner for two ground squirrels. Jude had posted an entry about a caterpillar/worm creature that she spotted that would devour leaves so I replied with my NM sob story. I was so angry about those squirrels that instead of deterring them with diluted chile powder and water, I gave up some of my precious New Mexican Hatch chile powder and sprinkled directly on our one remaining tomato; those squirrels are clever dudes, they lulled us into a sense of at least having one tomato left...HA, I even further commented on Jude;s blog that with my luck, these New Mexican squirrels would turn out to be chile heads...can you guess the ending of my story? Yes, I jinxed myself because sure enough, tonight they up and ate our remaining tomato...so simple affirmations, yes but what I need is a blooming miracle!

    As to blogging: maybe one day but for now, I like to travel around the blog world, visiting, commenting once in a while.

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    1. How great to at last read your story, Marti ... and to solve the *mystery* of my 581 visitor hits from RR ~ I'm so relieved to find out that it is someone I "know." It can be an odd thing to have long-standing silent visitors. Does make one wonder after awhile. But please, do know that you are ALWAYS welcome here and I really am pleased as all get-out that you find this place useful.

      As for your new life in NM, I wish you my heartfelt best for happiness & success on all fronts ... including with those pesky opportunistic furry creatures (oh yeah, real cute, huh?!?! grrrrrrrr). Determined gardeners always figure things out! I am still learning every day about how to garden here in the Pacific northwest. I guess every place has its own particular challenges and sense of strangeness ... problems to "control." jude has her leaf-eaters and we've got tent caterpillars. Up till two days ago, I had a rogue rabbit somehow breaking through our agricultural fencing & helping himself to not only my dye flowers, but veggies in the raised beds. Oh, he was BOLD. Not fun to wake up each morning, head outside to survey what damage occurred overnight! Anyway, didn't mean to blither on. But it is so nice to finally be able to converse with you ;>D

      See you 'round, k? Thanks so much for sharing your story.

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    2. Only wanted to add that since I just got here on last Monday and doing the math, even visiting twice a day, it is more than highly unlikely that all of the Rio Rancho hits are from me.

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    3. Forgot to add that I am thrilled that you are hosting India Flint in September Christi and sorry that the evil rabbit has gotten into some of your dye plants. Long held dream to one day take a workshop from India and your place is such the perfect venue.

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  3. un voile mystérieux.. belles photos!!!!

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  4. Beautiful photos and thank you for the reminder to keep on changing the inner dialogue.

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    1. It is a good thing to remember, Fran, but one so easy to forget!
      You're so welcome. Lovely to have you visit here.

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  5. Oh yes to these words!! How many times someone has asked 'what do you do' and I stumble, stammer and wish I could disappear because its so difficult to talk about myself and my creative endeavors. I shall try to be a better 'life coach' for myself in the future.

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  6. your beautiful photography & beaded cloths speak with such quiet confidence to my soul

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  7. That first photo - a tryptch for the garden lars and penates. I love it! And those wise words - the lift they gave to me when I realised that very slowly, after so many negative years and words, I'm finally starting to do that.

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