The Biblical story of creation describes the Universe coming into being through the power of the word — “And God said . . . “. The book of John in the New Testament starts out, “In the beginning was the Word . . . and the Word became flesh.”
Now, my point here is not to be religious or to get into some tired old debate about creationism versus evolution or anything like that, but the fact that these ancient writers used such words and phrases speaks volumes about the fact that even then they were fully aware of the power of language.
Author/speaker/teacher Mike Dooley is well known for making popular the phrase “thoughts become things”, and words are simply extensions of our thoughts.
One of my earlier posts focused on the negative talk we too often use about and toward ourselves and asked the question, “If I had a friend who spoke to me the way I often speak to myself, how long would I keep them as a friend?” Our words — extensions of our thoughts — do create our reality and the world the way we see it, so it’s extremely important that we choose our words wisely. Just as our thoughts determine the words we speak, the words we speak can modify our thoughts.
Consider, for example, the differences between the following examples of words and phrases, taken from Tony Robbins’ book Awaken the Giant Within, and how they would change the way you would think about a particular situation:
I’m feeling . . .
I’m feeling . . .
a little concerned
on the road to a turn-around
a little droopy
temporarily on my own
moving and shaking
sorting my thoughts
Imagine if the words you spoke automatically showed up on your skin where you and everyone around you could actually see them.
Well, in a way, they do. Not only do the words we use reflect as well as affect our own emotional state and the way we perceive the world, but also how we present ourselves to others and the world around us. Change a word here and there, and not only does our emotional state begin to change, but we find ourselves approaching situations differently and our whole countenance begins to transform. As a result, the world itself begins to change and we find ourselves presented with wholly different situations and opportunities.
Change your words and see if you don’t begin to see subtle changes in your life.