Positive Speaking Has Positive Impact
Positive Speaking Has Positive Impact
The words you use hold immense power and positive impact. Positive speaking has power to fuel your confidence and ambition and empower you to feel confident and self assured. Power to make a strong first impression and power to be quickly forgotten. Power to create opportunities and power to shut them down.
Have you ever found yourself thinking that this situation is impossible or I am a total failure? How about thinking I am hopeless that you will never figure something out. Maybe you thought I will try but…. Or this has turned out to be a nightmare.
If you answered “yes” to any of those, then it’s likely you’ve unconsciously been sabotaging your future simply by how you think and speak. Research has found that your subconscious interprets what it hears very literally. Your mind and body will follow the direction your words lead. If you want more influence, confidence, connection or opportunities to come your way, begin with what you’re projecting into the world each time you open your mouth. Put a watch on your mouth. (Psalms 141:3)
WHAT YOU VERBALIZE YOU BECOME
The saying, “The words you speak become the house you live in,” holds great truth. The world mirrors yourself back to you. If you use positive language about yourself and your ability to meet challenges and achieve your goals, then that is what will show up for you externally.
When you continually make declarations about yourself or your circumstances that echo hopelessness, fear, anxiety and pessimism, your words will shape the reality you exist in. Your language also impacts how others perceive and relate to you.
If you often feel overlooked or undervalued, take a look at how you are talking to others around you. Talking yourself down, making excuses or second-guessing your opinion before you’ve even shared it can completely undermine your authority, presence and power.
BE POSITIVE OR BE QUIET
Listen to any successful person and you will notice they use language that is positive, precise, action-focused and continually puts deposits of trust into their relationships.
As I wrote in Be Positive Or Be Quiet, everyone of us has the ability to rewire our brains with ongoing practice and to replace destructive habits of thought, speech and behavior with more positive ones.
Turning negative speech habits into positive ones begins with how we are thinking and that internal conversation we have with ourselves. I recommend two things. First, begin by monitoring your language over the next 24 hours. Second, ask someone else to monitor you as well, as our habits are often invisible to us! Then make the decision to replace language that is qualifying, passive and imprecise with language that is positive, specific and declarative. The type of language that puts you firmly in command, shifts your energy and, in doing so, makes you someone others want to listen to. Also check out a strong and relevant book, Your Secret Power.
STEPS TO HELP YOUR POSITIVE SPEAKING
Hold yourself powerfully.
First, always stand or sit in good posture. Tall, shoulders back, a light smile on your face and plenty of eye contact with people around you. That will amplify your presence, and it will ensure that the words you say come out in a way that will have optimal impact on who hears them.
Restructure you speaking.
Instead of expressing yourself in terms of what you cannot do, restructure your language in ways that express forward movement. In other words, instead of “I can’t, I don’t, I won’t, I want, I need,” say, “I can, I am, I will, I choose, I have, I love, I create, I enjoy.”
Avoid absolutes.
Instead of saying or thinking “They are complete idiots,” say, “They see things differently from me. I wonder what they see that I don’t.” Instead of “No one around here ever listens to a word I say,” try, “Some people don’t seem to listen to me. I wonder how I can speak in ways that make others want to pay more attention.”
Don’t apologize for your opinion.
Many people, particularly women, will preface their opinion with an apology or something else that minimizes the chances of ruffling feathers. If that’s you, stop. You don’t have to apologize for having an opinion. Just express it respectfully.
Shelve the shoulds.
The word should sounds harmless enough. What often lies beneath the shoulds are unconscious and unhelpful social expectations, biases and rules. So rather than use the word should use the word could and insert an alternative option that aligns with your personal desires. For example, instead of “I should have everyone over for 4th of July,” say, “I could invite everyone here, or we could go out instead.”
Express commitment. (Stop “trying”!)
Saying you’ll try to do something provides an excuse for not doing it. So don’t try. Just do it. Also interpreted as not going to do the task.
Limit the labels.
Labels create a subconscious mental boundary that confines you. Labeling yourself as “lazy” or “disorganized” or “pathetic with money” or a “terrible networker” keeps you from being anything but that and only reinforces an undesired state. Imagine yourself as the positive and excellent person you are, then project that.
Rephrase problems as opportunities.
We all have “problems”—what differentiates the most successful people is how they approach them. Got a bad boss? What a wonderful opportunity to develop your ability to manage up. Got a lot on your plate? What a great opportunity to improve your ability to delegate, prioritize and develop efficiency. When you change the way you describe your “problems,” it opens up whole new avenues for dealing with them. Instead of “This is a nightmare,” say, “This is an interesting challenge,” and you will more easily approach it as such.
We live in language. Choose to speak in ways that bring out your best and make you feel more positive about your ability to do what inspires you and to change what doesn’t.
Realizing just how capable you truly are begins the moment you decide to use words that embolden you.
Start to prophesize your future by your thoughts, internal conversations and your positive words, if not just be quiet. Quit your stinkin thinkin. Another great book to inspire and motivate you is One Millionaires Secret.
