It is unfortunate that most of our self-talk consists of saying negative statements about ourselves, whereas very little positive statements are said. When so much time is spent telling ourselves that 'we never do anything right' or that 'we're such an idiot,' we start believing these untruths. I believe it is important to listen and to be aware of our self-talk. I stress the importance of catching ourselves each time we make a negative statement. For it is only in awareness, that we have the ability to do anything to change it.
Most people just assume that there is nothing that can be done about how their mind works.
I inform them that the person in charge of their mind can change these negative self-talk statements. One of the best ways I found that helped me was to talk back as a critical parent to my negative statements. For instance, the above statement could be changed to, 'well, that action did not give me the results I wanted, but now I know what doesn't work and can move along in my process. I prefer to see 'mistakes' as learning experiences for growth and understanding. When we overcome our negative talk and turn it around to positive, we can focus upon it and see ourselves in a positive sense.