The Voice Inside our Head – Part One
The speed at which people talk varies (and the level of interest in listening to what people say certainly varies!), but it is on average 100 – 110 words per minute. This is a fairly comfortable speed to listen to and comprehend. And so, why is it that we can meet someone, and make up our mind within a few seconds what we think of them, and whether we like them or not? Because of the voice inside our head. We all have this voice, and it says what we think, and the speed of the voice seems to be about the same as the speed at which people are talking at in our world. But is this really what is going on?
- The Voice inside our head operates very quickly – i.e. at about 6000 words per minute
This voice is part of us. It is not a monologue of all our thoughts, but it does speak to us. No-one else can hear it. The voice operates primarily within our conscious mind, but has roots into our unconscious mind.
We can use the voice inside our head to help or hinder us. Consider a person with low self-esteem. The voice is likely to be telling that person that they are of little value, and it does so at approximately 6000 words per minute. Not really healthy. If ever there was a comment regarding the importance of self-esteem, this must be it. People with low self-esteem are very good at beating up on themselves. The opposite is true also – i.e. someone with high self-esteem will tend to have this view strengthened by this voice. As I said in an earlier article, thoughts to have substance, and they do have effect.
It is probably no surprise therefore that exercising some control over the voice inside your head is a good thing to do. But how to do that? I am not going to delve into this fascinating and complex area, but suffice to say, it is best for you to exercise some control, if not mastery of your thoughts, and the voice inside your head. Some eastern viewpoints talk about the “monkey mind”, by which they mean a mind that is “all over the place” and darts from one thing to another. Clients of mine from time to time talk about “getting my head straight”, and coping better under pressure. The key point here is that when we are under pressure, our mind can start to race. These are the times that we need to call on our self-control, and use some of the techniques that I’ve explained in other articles (e.g. Inputs and Outputs), as the more control we have over our mind, and in particular keeping our thought processes in a more positive space, the more successful we are going to be controlling stress, and performing well under pressure.
- Speech is approximately 100 – 110 words per minute
The speed at which people talk varies (and the level of interest in listening to what people say certainly varies!), but it is on average 100 – 110 words per minute. This is a fairly comfortable speed to listen to and comprehend. And so, why is it that we can meet someone, and make up our mind within a few seconds what we think of them, and whether we like them or not? Because of the voice inside our head. We all have this voice, and it says what we think, and the speed of the voice seems to be about the same as the speed at which people are talking at in our world. But is this really what is going on?
- The Voice inside our head operates very quickly – i.e. at about 6000 words per minute
This voice is part of us. It is not a monologue of all our thoughts, but it does speak to us. No-one else can hear it. The voice operates primarily within our conscious mind, but has roots into our unconscious mind.
- The voice drives change – for good or bad
We can use the voice inside our head to help or hinder us. Consider a person with low self-esteem. The voice is likely to be telling that person that they are of little value, and it does so at approximately 6000 words per minute. Not really healthy. If ever there was a comment regarding the importance of self-esteem, this must be it. People with low self-esteem are very good at beating up on themselves. The opposite is true also – i.e. someone with high self-esteem will tend to have this view strengthened by this voice. As I said in an earlier article, thoughts to have substance, and they do have effect.
- Harness the voice, and harness your thoughts
It is probably no surprise therefore that exercising some control over the voice inside your head is a good thing to do. But how to do that? I am not going to delve into this fascinating and complex area, but suffice to say, it is best for you to exercise some control, if not mastery of your thoughts, and the voice inside your head. Some eastern viewpoints talk about the “monkey mind”, by which they mean a mind that is “all over the place” and darts from one thing to another. Clients of mine from time to time talk about “getting my head straight”, and coping better under pressure. The key point here is that when we are under pressure, our mind can start to race. These are the times that we need to call on our self-control, and use some of the techniques that I’ve explained in other articles (e.g. Inputs and Outputs), as the more control we have over our mind, and in particular keeping our thought processes in a more positive space, the more successful we are going to be controlling stress, and performing well under pressure.
- The link between the voice, and performance – this is covered in Part 2
