On Oct 31, 2023, a thought came to my mind regarding rephrasing things in our mind.
This is because I was fascinated with how our minds register things and how that trickles down to our actions.
In case you do not know it yet, your mind is the most powerful tool that can affect your behavior.
That means you have to nurture your mind in the best way possible.
There are a ton of ways to do that but let’s focus on WORDS.
There are two main groups of words for you to think about as seen below.
Before we get into that, it’s important to note that positive language
- changes how we perceive ourselves
- it inspires others around us
- improves our mood and
- creates a conducive environment for us to work and exist.
You’ll get to see how that works as we now look at the two categories I mentioned.
The first classification is words that communicate obligation.
Being human and having my three decades of experience, I know that once something feels like an obligation to us, that’s a “turn off” for lack of a better word.
Examples are words like:
Have to, need to, must, ought, need to, supposed to, should and so on.
Whenever something feels like an obligation, you get worked up before you even begin.
If you badly want something, no one will have to force you to do it, right?
I have a perfect example for this one, and if you relate, leave a comment down below so I can know we are many…lol
Let’s say you had thought of doing dishes and you actually had a whole plan and scheduled time around that, and then someone like, a parent, a sibling or a partner comes in and tells you to do the dishes, HOW DO YOU FEEL??
Does the energy you had initially to do dishes stay at the same level or drop?
I don’t know about you but mine drops pretty fast from 100 halfway.
That’s all the brain my dear Learners!!
Obligations don’t sit well with us and that’s why we need hacks like these to help us maneuver and succeed in life because I’m sure we all want that.
Here are two sentences: one with words of obligations mentioned above and one that’s phrased differently.
‘I should wake up early tomorrow and so I need to sleep early’.
There is nothing wrong with that statement but tell me if you notice the difference from this:
‘I want to sleep early because it translates to me always waking up feeling fresh and in good time’
How do the two sentences register in your mind?
Definitely the second one makes it easier for you to sleep early and want to wake up at a good time.
This is a simple exercise for you to do. Think of a sentence with an obligation word and rephrase it.
The second classification is words that limit.
Here are examples.
I can’t dance, I never do well with crowds, it’s too hard for me to speak in public, It’s impossible for you to write an essay.
In my opinion, whenever you use limiting words, you sell yourself short and you excuse yourself for some behavior such as procrastination or laziness.
There I said it!! The P word and the L word, I put them together.
Earlier on we said that if you want something badly enough, you figure out how to do it.
Using these limiting words is also a cover up for not being honest with yourself and saying things as they are.
This is what I mean.
When we say ‘we don’t do well with crowds’ we could really be saying “I avoid being in crowds because it involves talking to many people, even in times when I’d rather be quiet and to myself.”
Does that make sense?
Therefore, don’t say you can’t dance.
Say you have not taken interest in dancing, or you are afraid it will take a long time to learn, or make funny moves while dancing, or you have your priorities on something else at the moment…and so on.
At the end of the day the power lies in you. There is a verse I love from Mark that says, anything is possible for those who believe.
“If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.” Mark 9:23
Don’t kill your potential by using limiting words, instead call things for what they are or rephrase sentences before you speak them.
Short and sweet!
Thank you for taking time to read.
Xoxo;)
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