Living with your words

I try so hard to be aware of the words I use. Not just in the sense that I am not being misunderstood, or that I am not being tactless, but that my actual words aren't becoming a negative mantra to myself or others. How many times do you hear yourself say -

I would kill for a cup of coffee.
That food is to die for.
You are being a pain in the neck.
At work today I had to bust a gut.
... you get the picture..   there are millions more...

These may seem insignificant however they become your way of thinking in the subconscious. I have become a bit of a word policeman and try to stop these negative words being used so flippantly. This can even come down to the basic level of softening some words or phrases such as replacing "should have" with "could have".  This became so easy to change once I became aware of it. Listen to what you are actually saying, not what you think you are saying, you will be surprised by the amount of times you could be more positive. Even the times when you are just joking around.

I also realised how I was talking to my children. My intention was to encourage them, however in doing that I was constantly talking about what they shouldn't be doing. It was pure negativity coming from me. I have turned it around and now only use the positive examples to get my point across. This was difficult because I think of the words embedded in me from the influences I had when I was growing up. It certainly wasn't encouraging words, it was trying to steer me out of fear.  That negativity stops here and I am creating what I, and my children, take into the future.

Keep your thoughts positive,

because your thoughts become your words.

Keep your words positive,

because your words become your behaviours.

Keep your behaviours positive,

because your behaviours become your habits.

Keep your habits positive,

because your habits become your values.

Keep your values positive,

because your values become your destiny.

Gandhi

Love and Gratitude

Lisa xxx