{"id":10380,"date":"2012-08-03T07:00:17","date_gmt":"2012-08-03T14:00:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/?p=10380"},"modified":"2012-07-27T15:30:51","modified_gmt":"2012-07-27T22:30:51","slug":"watch-your-language","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/?p=10380","title":{"rendered":"Watch Your Language!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Have you ever noticed when people ask you how you\u2019re doing, you will almost invariably answer based on the emotional state you\u2019re currently in? For example, if you feel as if you\u2019re just barely hanging on or are feeling frustrated, you might answer with something like, \u201cI\u2019m hanging in there,\u201d or \u201cI\u2019m all right, I guess.\u201d Or, if things are going exceptionally well, you might fire back with, \u201cI\u2019m doing incredibly well!\u201d<\/p>\n

Those answers \u2013 and more specifically, the language<\/em> of those answers \u2013 can serve to keep you right where you are. But what if I told you that you can change your feelings and emotions, and literally set the course for an outstanding day simply by changing your language? Curious? Good, let\u2019s dig in!<\/p>\n

\u201cUse what language you will, you can never say anything but what you are.\u201d \u2013 Ralph Waldo Emerson<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

One of the most powerful forces in your life is the language you use on a consistent basis. But I\u2019m not only talking about the words you use when communicating with the people around you; that is certainly very important. I\u2019m also talking about your internal language.<\/p>\n

I believe that the quality of your life is consistent with the quality of the language, both internal and external, that you use on a repeated basis.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You see, when we describe an event or experience, the words become<\/em> the experience. <\/strong>What does that mean? Think about this for a minute. I knew a guy who would consistently describe the events in his life as \u201cfrustrating.\u201d I\u2019d ask him how his day was, and he\u2019d respond with, \u201cIt was so frustrating at work today!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

So, of course, the predominant emotion he experienced was frustration. And that speaks directly to the overall quality of his life. I can tell you he experiences frustration on a regular basis.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut if thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0– George Orwell<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

I have a very close friend who, whenever I ask him how he\u2019s doing, will always<\/em> respond with a huge smile and say, \u201cPerfect and improving. Thank you for asking!\u201d What do you think he gets to experience consistently in his emotions? You get the idea.<\/p>\n

How might your language impact you at work? With your teams? In regard to your projects? If you find yourself habitually talking about the challenges, the frustrations, the disappointments, the annoyances, etc. then that is what you\u2019re going to experience.<\/p>\n

If you walk in the door and ask yourself something like, \u201cWhat kind of mess am I going to find today?\u201d or say to yourself, \u201cThis project really irritates me!\u201d then you can rest assured that you\u2019ll find exactly what you\u2019re looking for.<\/p>\n

Why not set a new standard for yourself and your teams?<\/strong><\/p>\n

When we change our language, we engage our brains in a whole new way, sending a different message to it that suggests we look for what we\u2019re focused on. I won\u2019t go into the whole neuroscience behind this mechanism and how it works. What you need to know is this; wherever focus goes, energy flows. Meaning, if you\u2019re telling your brain that you\u2019re frustrated, angry, disappointed, happy, ecstatic, or excited, then it will filter all incoming information to seek those things; and that will largely determine the quality of your experience for that day.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not discounting the fact that in every day, there are opportunities for challenges or unwanted surprises, but if you\u2019re already in a resourceful and happy emotional state, think about how much more effectively you\u2019ll handle them!<\/p>\n

When you take that to the next level, and begin using more effective language with your teams, you also program them unconsciously to seek what you\u2019re suggesting. For example, in a team meeting to review project status, you might be tempted to point out a problem and say something to the effect of, \u201cWe\u2019ve got a problem here. And it\u2019s going to create some turmoil until we get it figured out.\u201d Think about how that impacts your team.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur language is the reflection of ourselves.\u201d \u2013 Cesar Chavez<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

First, it creates a sense of uncertainty in them. What\u2019s wrong? Is it my fault? Why does this always happen? Etc. When people are in a state of uncertainty, it can create feelings of fear and anxiety, which will severely hamper efforts to resolve the issue. People will focus on the problem as opposed to the solution, and may find themselves in a reactionary mode rather than a responsive one.<\/p>\n

What if instead, you say, \u201cWell, we have an unanticipated surprise! And I have confidence that this team has exactly what we need to resolve it.\u201d I\u2019m not just playing with words here. You must understand that words are programming<\/em> for our brains. It sends very specific signals on what to focus on, thereby setting up our response. Think about the difference in language and how it impacts you and the people around you.<\/p>\n

Like anything else, it takes practice to shift your language. But, I promise you that when you do, the results are instantaneous and significant. It\u2019s not about \u201cpositive thinking.\u201d It\u2019s about being resourceful and using intelligent language<\/em> that focuses you and your teams on the best possible outcome, rather than the problem itself.<\/p>\n

And how knows? You just might find yourself answering the question, \u201cHow are you?\u201d with, \u201cPerfect and improving! Thank you for asking!\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Have you ever noticed when people ask you how you\u2019re doing, you will almost invariably answer based on the emotional […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1522,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"give_campaign_id":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,6,1,847,848,849,652],"tags":[231,33,64,87,1370],"class_list":["post-10380","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-leadership","category-communications","category-miscellaneous","category-self-leadership","category-1-1-leadership","category-team-leadership","category-creativity","tag-career","tag-common-sense","tag-communication","tag-emotions","tag-leadership"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10380","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1522"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10380"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10380\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10391,"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10380\/revisions\/10391"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10380"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10380"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/svapm.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}