Happy Friday!
This week we’re being negative! We’re looking at the power of language, one of my favourite areas. Language can have such a big impact on how you think, feel and behave.
Take a step back and just listen to the world around you, i.e. The news around recession and politics (don’t worry I’m not going there!) It’s no wonder we start to feel like there’s no hope. This negativity can really start to change our mood.
Whenever you spot yourself saying something negative turn it around into a positive. We often generalise too, so when you hear yourself do it - challenge it;
- The weather is ‘always’ miserable Always??
- I ‘never’ win anything ‘Never??’
- I really ‘should’ or ‘must’ do that ‘but’.. ‘Should?? Must?? Who says?’
Challenging your language is a great first step into taking control of it. You can then start to make it more positive. It’s not about seeing things with rose tinted glasses, but recognising that negative words can change how we think and what we actually achieve then as a result. We know that thoughts lead to feelings that lead to behaviour.
A friend of mine shared a short Video – ‘Lost Generation’ with me this week that I’d love you to watch. It’s a ‘palindrome’, meaning it reads the same forwards as backwards, and the meaning is the exact opposite. Out of interest did you notice your thoughts/feelings/behaviour when you watched it forwards/in reverse? Any difference?
What words can you think of that really lift your spirits? I knew a Recruitment Consultant in my former HR life who, when you asked her how she was, would always respond with, ‘I’m beautiful, thank you’. What a difference that response made! My word is ‘fabulous’. It’s really interesting to see the change on people’s faces too when you use it instead of the ‘I’m fine’ response. Try it out!
If you’re being negative, or someone else is, ask yourself why. There will be an underlying reason, a root cause. People don’t generally just deliberately choose to be grumpy.
Remember positive language is a choice. I choose to use more positive language on a daily basis. Do you?
Breaking News….
- My Live Your Life In Colour newsletter was mailed out this week, with a little gift of a ‘Wheel of Life’; a Coaching tool to help you start work on making some positive changes. If you’ve signed up then it should be sitting in your inbox waiting for you.
- I will be running an ongoing series of interviews on my blog, with the first one starting next week, on Tuesday 12th March. We all know the value of Social Media but it can be a real challenge to know where to start/focus. I have invited the lovely Rebekah Harriman, a Social Media expert to share some of her hints and tips on how to make Social Media work for you. She’s also sharing a giveaway of the top ten things to do once you’ve done a blog post. Don’t miss it!
Want to work with me to unpick your limiting beliefs and help you be more positive? Connect with me here.
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