Every now and then I stumble across quotes on the Internet that somehow click for me or seem worthy of saving for later. A couple that I saw recently just seemed to go together –
“Talk to yourself at least once in a Day, otherwise you may miss a meeting with an EXCELLENT person in this World.” ― Swami Vivekananda
And one that I will paraphrase that I saw in a sweatshirt ad – “I talk to myself all the time. Once in a while I say something funny, and WE have a good laugh.”
A corollary to talking with yourself is talking for your pet. How many of us have had both sides of a conversation with our dogs or cats? Sometimes they say funny things, too. Then you have to imagine your dog or cat chuckling along with you.
Unless it is the mental illness of schizophrenia, there is really nothing wrong with talking to yourself. It is often a technique for examining all sides of an argument, so that you can make a decision – just don’t argue with yourself.
Sometimes the mentally ill say that they hear voices giving them instructions to do bad things. That is a sign that they need professional help.
For the most part the words of Swami Vivekananda probably apply. I’ve posted here a few times about loving yourself before you can love others. A big part of getting comfortable with who you are and loving yourself involves talking things out with yourself. You must come to the conclusion of “I’m OK” before you can move to the next step of “You’re OK”. (See I’m OK, You’re OK a 1967 self-help book by Thomas Anthony Harris.)
Some may say that prayer is a form of talking to yourself, especially if you tend to imagine what God is saying in your mind during the prayer. Fortunately, the messages that should come out of that conversation are based upon goodness and not evil. Just don’t argue with God, either.
So, start your day with a conversation with God and then talk to yourself. Hash things out in your mind and view all of the options and choose wisely. In the end, say something funny to yourself and have a good laugh together.
Have a great day, you and God have already met someone excellent today.
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