Coach Buzz Williams recently tweeted out, "The voice you believe will determine the future you experience." I like that. It reminds me of an earlier blog: Talk > Listen. We talked about the importance of talking to yourself and not listening. This topic is so importaint it's worth another visit, but this time through the eyes of hip-hop artist Andy Mineo.
Mineo's upbeat rap single, "You Can't Stop Me," was recently crowned the best walk-up song in baseball after a week-long vote and win's ESPN.com's inaugural Whammy award. When asked what motivated Mineo to write the song he said:
"A lot of people say 'you can't stop me' to their haters. But I think the thing that stops us more than anything is not other people, it's ourselves. So the approach I took when I was writing the song was to tell myself, 'I can't stop me.' And to take on the challenge of not just the external influences but the more difficult ones, which are the internal ones. It's just kind of an anthem that everyone can relate to...facing self-doubt, fear, and working through that and saying, 'The only thing that can stop us is ourselves.'"
The lyrics are loaded are loaded with postive self-talk. A few or more of my favorite take-aways: 1) "Only thing I fear is God and he on my side. That's the confidence of God, cause he got me. That's why I really feel like...you can't stop me!" 2) "Well, if I listen to you, and everything you put in my ear, I'll be living like woulda, shoulda, coulda, I'll be paralyzed by fear!" 3) "I got two choices when I do this: make moves or make excuses. Huh, if you know who I'm talking about, then you got me. My biggest enemy is me, and even I can't stop me!"
The video (if you haven't watched it yet you might want to now) is even more entertaining. We are able to see the war waged between Andy and Self. Ultimately he chooses not to listen to Self and trust in the positive affirmations he believes in. Andy Mineo has the mindset of a champion. What are you currently doing to build up your positive self-talk? We strongly encourage you to spend time journaling what you do well. Surround yourself with positive teammates who have the same goals and desires. Read inspiring stories about people who have overcome hardships. Spend time daily in God's word memorizing his promises. In doing these you can't be and won't be stopped!