[originaltext] Good afternoon, every one! Welcome to today’s lecture. Have y

Good afternoon, every one! Welcome to today’s lecture. Have you ever realized that we are all largely responsible for our own emotional health and well-being? What does that mean? That what we say to ourselves over and over for days, weeks, months, and sometimes years, has a dramatic effect on how we see ourselves.
    I discovered how powerful the effect of conditioning is firsthand when I was listening to some oldies the other day on the radio—I was amazed at how quickly I could belt out the words to songs I hadn’t heard in decades. How could I remember all those lyrics from so long ago? Because I was conditioned by them. I listened and sang those words day in and day out for what seemed like forever, until they were burned into my brain cells, and some of those old songs even provoked strong feelings in me as I took a quick trip down memory lane.
    The mind is a powerful thing, and in a nanosecond, it can elevate or crush our mood because of the beliefs lurking behind our feelings.
    If you think I’m kidding, try it yourself: think of an old song, or even the lyrics to one of your favorite television shows. Those of us who are old enough can belt out the opening line to The Beverly Hillbillies in our sleep.
    So, what does all this have to do with our emotional health? Everything. Many of us have problems with negative thoughts playing on the channel of our minds, but if you’re engaging in it consistently, and you believe it, it could be eroding your sense of self-esteem.
    Negative thoughts conjure up bad feelings and hook you into believing that what those old tapes in your head are playing is actually true. In short, it brings your focus on your failures, and that gets you nowhere. What can you do?
    Here are some suggestions:
    First, recognize that actions always follow beliefs. Whatever you believe, you’ll experience more of, and you’ll also find yourself behaving in ways that are congruent with your beliefs. So, start believing the best about yourself: act as if you believe that you’re a valuable and worthy person.
    Second, pay attention to triggers. Triggers are anything that can start the old tapes playing. If a certain person is a trigger for you, set boundaries with him.
    Third, develop positive counterstatements to refute negative self-talk. Thinking poorly about ourselves gets us nowhere and is extremely self-limiting. Decide today to turn off the negative self-talk channel in your mind and develop your true potential.
    Fourth, back at you. If you’ve struggled with negative thoughts, how did you overcome it and go on to reach your full potential?
    Hope you enjoy today’s lecture. Thanks for listening！
    Questions 23 to 25 are based on the recording you have just heard.
    23. What will be influenced by what we say to ourselves?
    24. What will happen if we engage in negative thoughts consistently?
    25. What should we do with triggers?