The Power of Words
You’re likely to have heard the power of changing a ‘problem’ to an ‘opportunity or a ‘difficulty’ into a ‘challenge’.
Here are three more ways of expressing myself that I’d like to share with you. These little choices of words have helped me change my life.
Even I couldn’t believe the power these words had, until I experienced it for myself.
There are many more ideas, but this is a place to start.
Very empowering is the word ‘Yet’.
This tiny word shifts your consciousness from problem to solution
Instead of thinking ‘I can’t do that’, change the message to ‘I can’t do that YET.’
Rather than say ‘He doesn’t understand me’ say ‘He doesn’t understand me YET.’
This tiny word opens up a world of possibilities and encourages you to plan how you’re going to bring that possibility into your present. The word ‘YET’ shifts you into the mindset that all you have to learn is learn how, and then you will be able to do it.
Replace the word ‘Or’ with ‘And’.
The word ‘Or’ pushes you into believing things must be either A or B, but not both. It restricts rather than expands your world view.
You end up believing:
I can have money OR happiness, but not both.
Can be a ‘nice’ person OR be aggressive.
Can please others OR be selfish.
On the other hand, look what happens when you use ‘AND’, instead:
I can have money AND happiness
Can be a ‘nice’ person AND be diplomatically assertive
Can please others AND please myself
With the word ‘AND’, you work out a way to have a bit of both options, rather than restrict yourself to only one.
It’s not just about balance and compromise—it’s about liberating yourself to embrace a number of possibilities in your decision-making and planning.
The Power of the Past Tense
If you want to change anything about yourself or your life, refer to it in the past tense. This affirms that this behaviour is no longer in your life.
Instead of keeping yourself stuck in the ‘I am’, you move to ‘I used to be.’
‘I’m always disorganised’ becomes ‘I used to be disorganised’.
‘I have a bad temper’ becomes ‘I used to have a bad temper.’
The past tense begins to change the way you think about yourself and that helps with your transformation.
Become aware of the way you typically express yourself, either in your head or out loud.
Is there a lot of negativity in the way you think? Do you beat yourself up a lot? Do you tend to scold yourself with what people call the ‘tyranny of SHOULDs’?
You can choose to change all that and become the person you dream of being.
If you feel as though you need assistance in the way you use your words, please contact me directly to arrange a convenient appointment time.
I’d love to know what you think of what I’ve said here. You can give me your feedback, ask a question by email or post a comment below.
If you or someone you know would like a personal consultation, please call +61 439 969 081.
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Any information presented on our website is of a general nature only and is not intended as a substitute for professional advice.
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