They activate the feeling of personal efficiency.
Difficult to regain the pace after the summer holidays. Light declines, the agenda fills up and the desire to go to the office does not always follow. This lack of momentum is not abnormal: it is a frequent reaction to the change of framework, well known to psychologists. What if the key to changing the situation was in two simple words?
Our brain does not only react to situations: it anticipates, interpreter, is conditioned. And it all starts with what you say to yourself. The inner speech – this permanent monologue that comments on our days – plays a key role in the way in which we perceive the events and which we respond to it. Basically: the words we choose have a direct impact on our emotions and our behaviors.
This is where a small motivation lever validated by research comes in. Psychologist Albert Bandura, a major figure in social psychology, explains it in his work “self -efficiency: the feeling of personal efficiency” (éd. De Boeck superior): believe in your ability to perform a task significantly increases the chances of success. And this belief can be strengthened by a simple formula: “I can”. Two words to repeat every morning to activate what is called the feeling of personal efficiency. To say “I can” is not to pretend that everything is fine. It is sending a clear signal to your brain: you are able to face, even if the motivation is not there.
In order for these two words to have a real impact, you have to integrate them into your morning routine: repeat “I can” look at you in the right mirror in the eyes, write them on a post-it glued to the bathroom mirror or on the coffee machine to remember, mentally repeat this mantra in the car or bus. The objective is not to deny the difficulties, but to choose the state of mind with which we will face them. You are not preparing to undergo the day, but to conquer it.
