After the last year of economic turmoil, many of us could comment negatively on the bleak outcome however, if you are busily scrambling to put together a list of New Year’s resolutions read the article below, written by John Hersey, CSP . It is a good reminder for all of us. John is a leadership keynote speaker, author, and executive coach. (www.johnhersey.com) Thanks to John’s reminder, I recognize that first on my list will be a positive shift in attitude. I wish you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year!
Want to Be Wildly Successful? Watch Your Words! – John Hersey, CSP
We hear it all the time; so many people so sure about their intention of focusing on what they truly want. They are so certain, their attitudes are so positive, and yet, nothing seems to happen. “I have done it all, BUT everything is the same”, Stephen says. He is fast to point out that he hasn’t moved a bit in the direction of his dreams.
We must remember that our language is directly linked to our thoughts; thus, we have to pay attention to what we say and how we say it in order to understand a great deal about our way of thinking. Right there, where Stephen said ‘BUT’, is the key.
One has to make it a conscious habit to catch one’s words. This could easily be the only opportunity you have to actually catch your true thoughts, because the only reason you could catch yourself is because you are going to say it out loud, otherwise, it would just stay back there, in your subconscious. The subconscious is happy to grab everything you pay some attention to, whether it is valuable or not, thus, in order to refine its choices, you could refine your language.
In our vocabulary there are millions of words, however, we use a small amount of those millions regularly. The amount of words we use depends directly on our upbringing and education, and one thing is certain: no matter how we were raised or what kind of education we have received, in order to be successful in life we have to be conscious of the words we speak and learn to differentiate what words are meaningful and which ones are pure junk.
No matter where we come from, there are certain words everyone should eliminate from their vocabulary if they want to make their life big, and want to make it big in life. These words are:
- But
- Don’t
- No
- Never
- Can’t
- Should
- Try
- Might
- Want
- Hope
All the words above express some kind of doubt, incapability, negativity, unwillingness, and lack of control. Let’s take ‘hope’ for example; ‘hope’ is a major success among people. People love what ‘hope’ stands for; nevertheless, this word is normally used to express desperation, more than real hope.
If you think this is trivial, think again. Remember, our words are tightly linked to our thoughts; whatever you say is deeply entrenched in your mind, so, when you consciously keep out of your vocabulary certain words, you are making yourself think in a more positive way. As everything, changing your vocabulary needs training, and it may seem difficult at first, however, if you learn some new great words to substitute the less positive ones, it may make it easier to switch:
- Yes
- And
- More
- Chose
- Intent
- Plan
- Can
- Will
- Trust
- Allow
Start using these words more in your daily conversations and you will experience MAGIC, there you go! Another great word!
Having just returned from a Leadership Conference in San Francisco with ISES (International Special Events Society) , I am proud to be associated with an organization that fosters continued and higher learning in all disciplines of the event industry, and provides quality leadership to ensure the longevity of this great organization. This is an outstanding testament to the value of this membership, and if that wasn’t enough I always walk away with an armful of friendships that prove their worth beyond membership fees!