Using Language to Achieve Desired Outcomes
Language -- it influences more than you think.
It’s not just how we communicate with others. It’s how we communicate with ourselves. It's how we understand our world.
As humans, our very consciousness -- our thoughts, beliefs, ideas -- is built around words, around language. We build patterns and strategies based on those labels, and all of this put together gives you your life experience.
Don’t like your current life experience? Change your language. Really. It’s the key to changing your beliefs, changing your thoughts, changing your experiences, changing your life.
I have yet to meet a single human being who is living a life that is different than their thoughts. What you think is what you get. And if you want to change your thoughts -- guess what? You’ve got to change your words. You’ve got to change your labels. You’ve got to change your language.
It’s simple, but it’s not easy. Remember: the unconscious mind loves repetition, so you’ll need some persistence, but it won’t take long for you to see evidence that your work is making a difference.
Start by paying attention. Pay attention to your thoughts, to your words, to how you think about yourself and others. Notice how the things you say and think are reflected back to you in your environment and experiences.
To begin to shift your language (and life) in a positive, toward direction, do these three things:
- Reframe your automatic negative thoughts. See the link below for a great worksheet on this.
- Use toward language and positive language. Don’t focus on the negative reasons for why you want ________ (fill in the blank). Always keep it positive.
- Set small achievable goals, and celebrate your accomplishments along the way.
It’s not exciting or glamorous, but it’s the mellow work done deliberately that proves to be where the real power lies. And you’re worth it.
Thanks for listening!
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Links from today’s episode:
- Episode 3 -- We learned about rewriting negative thoughts
- Rewrite Automatic Negative Thoughts Worksheet
- Check out the fabulous Freebies section!
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