Badass author Jen Sincero has an analogy, how words and thoughts share everything and behave just like you and your best friend back in 1990. Remember? Passing secret notes back and forth, finishing off sentences or Smash Hits songs and talking on the landline late into the night.   

If words and thoughts are besties, then you’ll no doubt agree that on a good day, these relationships make you feel incredible. Yet on a bad day, when you’re low vibing in the throngs of despair, it can be the worst relationship in the world. 

Here’s another saying from when we were young(er), “Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me.” We remember it feeling good to say back then, but not quite the experience most of us have had. 

Maybe the words in an email knocked your thoughts off course. Perhaps it was more what someone didn’t say that triggered your bestie ‘thought’ to spiral into overdrive. Or maybe it was the thoughts you have yourself that bring you down. 

Pay attention to the words you use. Be kind with these words and the thoughts you tell yourself because when this friendship is nurtured, they really can be besties.

Grab our free workbook 5 Tips to Take Your Copy from Shonky to Spectacular and start making a note of all the words that resonate, most importantly, all the words that make you feel good! While you’re at it, make a note of all the things you say (or hear in your head) that knock your confidence so you can be more conscious about how you talk to yourself.

Here are a few tools we use day in day out to keep our thoughts and words on track:

• Daily Goal Setter by Mål Paper: Mål (pronounced 'mo-l'), means goal in Swedish and Laura swears by this planner (she’s tried MANY and this is the only one she’s had any joy with) to keep her mind and actions on track. With a ‘3 things to be grateful for’ section at the top of each page, Laura starts the day practicing gratitude and setting her daily affirmation. Tasks come next then an end of day ‘3 things that happened today’ space to celebrate success. 

• Gabrielle Bernstein’s daily affirmation cards: We both love these daily affirmation cards. We pull one each morning as we make coffee, giving ourselves a moment to align with what we want and have faith in where we’re going. We’re currently using the Super Attractor 52-card deck. If you haven’t discovered Gabrielle yet, check her out. Reading / listening to her books in 2020 was a game changer for us. 

• One Peloton: This was a lockdown find for Becca. While she loves the yoga and cycling classes, it’s the meditations that have been a life changer. A 10-minute guided visualisation is the perfect way to quieten the noise and reconnect, setting an intention for the day ahead.     

• Each other: We rely heavily on each other every single day to keep our words and thoughts on track. While we’ve done lots of work to develop a growth mindset and look forwards, not back, we’re not there yet and it’s easy to slip back into our old ways. Thankfully, it’s not as often and we’ve learned that when one of us is having a moment, the other can always offer the pick-me-up, saying the right thing to get our words (and thoughts) back on track. Need some of that magic? Sign up to become a Story Insider so we can pop into your inbox with a sprinkle of goodness, connect with us on Instagram or join our Facebook group. We’re all about seeing others succeed so if you need a pick-me-up, we can help.  

Here’s a quote from Gabrielle Bernstein to get you going this week: "You are the dreamer of your dreams. What we focus on we create." So go on think it, focus on and create it. 

Laura & Becca