Have you ever owned a parrot? You know those beautiful birds that repeat words right back at you without any type of filter?
You constantly say to the parrot “YOU SUCK!” and when you walk by, it’s going to shout “YOU SUCK” right back at you.
Essentially, what you feed that parrot—in terms of words—is what you get right back.
You can easily have your parrot saying…
- you’ll never succeed
- you’re too young
- you’re too old
- you aren’t good enough
- you’re a nobody
- everyone hates you
- you don’t have what it takes
- you can’t do it
Basically, you can feed that parrot garbage and have the absolute filthiest bird around.
But the real beauty of a parrot is that, no matter how long you’ve fed it garbage, you can turn it around and start feeding it positive thoughts.
In no time, you could have it saying:
- you’re beautiful
- you can do anything you set your mind to
- you got this
- you’re an achiever
- you’re confident
- you can do it
Don’t get me wrong, it won’t change overnight. If you’ve been training that parrot to say, “you suck” for the past 15 years then suddenly start saying, “you’re amazing,” it’s going to mess up. It’ll go a few days saying you’re amazing until something happens, it slips up, and that parrot will yell “YOU SUCK” out of nowhere.
But over time, with consistent practice, you can completely eradicate any number of years worth of negative conditioning and turn that parrot into the most lovable, confident, and uplifting bird around.
It’s not easy. It takes work. It takes time. It takes patience. But it’s worth it.
Imagine you’re sitting on the couch, trying to write out a new resumé for that dream job, or putting together a business plan for that new venture you want to launch, or getting ready to pick up the phone and call that certain individual you’ve been drooling over. (I know, CALL, what a joke.)
What impact do you think that parrot would have on you if it kept saying, “you suck, you’re nobody, people hate you, you’re a failure,” while you were trying to work up the courage to do those tasks?
What would the impact be if it kept repeating, “you got this, you can do it, you’re an achiever, you’re beautiful, people love you”?
We all have that parrot, and it’s right between your ears.
I have a very serious question for you… What are you feeding your parrot?
And what’s that parrot repeating back to you? Now, don’t try and pass the blame here… Your parrot can’t learn on its own, it needs to be TAUGHT.
Whether from the way you think about yourself, poor influences in your life, maybe a parent said something unintentionally that crushed your confidence, maybe a television show made you aware and conscious of a flaw instead of a beautiful piece of your character. Or maybe you have a bad group of friends and it’s time for a change up.
Debating where those negative inputs came from and who’s fault it is matters less than what you’re going to do about it.
We are 100% in charge of our own parrot, and we must feed that parrot each and every day. Odds are you will never be able to completely shut out all negative inputs, so it’s your job to drown them out with positive inputs.
It’s your responsibility to FEED YOUR PARROT.
It won’t discriminate for you—feed it whatever you want, but you’ll reap exactly what you sow. And if you don’t feed it, you’re opening up the doors and letting the world feed it for you.
What do you tell yourself? When you’re about to do something and hesitate, what do you say to yourself? When you’re looking in the mirror, what are you thinking? When you buckle up your belt, what goes through your head? When you’re approaching a sales meeting, what are you thinking?
Look at any great success in any area of life, whether it be someone who’s succeeded at achieving inner peace, someone who’s achieved sporting greatness, someone who’s made it big in business, someone who’s become a great, nurturing, caring, and uplifting parent, look at anyone that’s “made it” and you’ll realize that they guard the gate to their parrot with their life and they don’t let any crap enter.
Am I saying you can control, or even stop, all negative input? Absolutely not.
But here’s a little tip I got from the great NLP master Richard Bandler (earmuffs, little ones…)
When a negative thought enters your mind, when you get scared and think, “I can’t do this,” I want you to firmly shout, “SHUT THE FUCK UP, YOU GOT THIS.“
I know, it’s using some adult language, and it’s shouting, it’s rude, and that’s exactly how negative thoughts deserve to be treated.
They are intruders to your fortress, and they need to be cursed out of your mind.
Still not sure? Here’s a softer approach Brian Tracy recommends…
When you’re feeling any kind of doubt, start in a slow, soft voice and say, “I like myself,” then say it again a bit louder and a bit faster, then louder and faster, and keep increasing until you’ve said it about 20-30 times and it’s nearing shouting gibberish.
Sounds silly, but it works—and I do it with my kids all the time. They think it’s hilarious, and they always just end up shouting at the top of their lungs, but it never fails to make them forget whatever doubt they had and start giggling and laughing with excitement. (You know, because I don’t want my kid standing on stage at a school play feeling doubtful and yelling, “shut the fuck up, you got this!”)
The world is filled, for better or worse, with negative influences. I personally believe it’s futile to try and change the world. Instead, I put up barriers to protect my mind and put practices in place to keep my mind fresh, positive, and focused on what I want.
What are you feeding your parrot?
I hope it’s the exact words you deserve.
To your success,
Al
Alain Blais
CEO RYS Group
alain@rys.group
The Blais family enjoying the views at Lake Tahoe.
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