The motivation for this week's article came from a combination of things: a dream I had, this picture I recently saw on Instagram on how to be more positive and this video I recently saw on YouTube (a super great video about how to really get your work done).

When I thought about my interactions with others, I realized I am much more positive in my language than when speaking to myself.

Think about when you're trying to ask for money from your parents (something I am very familiar with), a favor of someone you don't know very well (especially from someone of authority) or instructing a small child. You carefully phrase your requests to sound positive.

People respond well to positive language, and this includes yourself.

I have begun to catch myself in negative thinking (even in small ways) and noticed what a huge difference it makes to speak positively to myself.

For example, instead of thinking:

"I'm not going to touch my phone. I'm putting it on silent and airplane mode so I don't get and can't hear notifications. I will not go on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube or anything until I'm done with homework."

You could think:

"This is my opportunity to charge my phone and give it a break. I use it all day, and it deserves to recharge. This is also my chance to get work done. When I'm finished, I can reward myself."

The exact same scenario will happen, but I feel so much more motivated to work when I have the second mindset, rather than the one of self-inflicted punishment.

I tried this out this past weekend, and I was much less tempted to go back on my phone when I was frustrated or bored of reading.

While it may seem overly optimistic – or maybe even unnecessary – to think in this way, little changes can make big differences.