VI: Keep your words in good order.
Words have power. Not that they have inherent power; they are arbitrary after all. But the meanings we personally ascribe to words can have a powerful grip on us when we hear words.
Think about it-- what happens to a child being raised in a home where the parent's are always saying negative things? I'm not even talking verbal abuse; I mean let's say they're just 'glass half empty' kind of people. They focus on the negative:
- Dinner was okay, honey, except you burned the edges of the burgers a bit.
- You never listen to what I say, you never do what you're supposed to do.
- I can't take living with this ugly old furniture anymore.
- I see you made your bed. Well, that's good, but I wish you would have changed the sheets first.
Would it be any surprise if the child grew up to be a negative person? The kind of person who is never really satisfied? The kind of person who always finds something wrong with everything?
Think about your own patterns of speech now:
- do you express pessimism frequently?
- do you frequently use words like can't, don't, won't, not?
- do you complain a lot? Do you spend a lot of time talking about complaints (like hanging around the water cooler talking about how the company sucks, or hanging out with friends telling them how your parents and teachers suck?)
- do you spend a lot of time talking about your problems? Do you rehash them over and over to different people, or with the same person?
So what kind of a mind does that reflect? And how is that working out for you?
The most beautiful spiritual rituals and rites and experiences cannot overcome a negativity unless you're willing to make change. And what negativity can do to your magic? Forget about it. So that change begins with changing your words.
My Tip for You Today: Start getting your words in better order.
First off, if you are an unhappy (angry, pessimistic, etc.) person, I highly recommend you read a book on NeuroLinguistic Programming (NLP)... or at least surf around the internet reading some articles about it. It will be an eye opener, I assure you.
Okay, so here is what I want you to do for the next couple of weeks: only have positive things to say. Going with the examples above, you might say:
- Dinner was delicious honey; the meat was seasoned really well.
- I really appreciate it when you pay attention to me when I'm talking and do what I ask.
- I love this old furniture, it's so comfortable and cozy.
- You made your bed? That's wonderful! Tomorrow I'll teach you how to change the sheets, too!
Even if you don't believe something is good, or can't find something good in a situation, say it anyway. If you start speaking more positively, a funny thing starts to happen-- it's like brain-washing yourself into being more positive. You'll start feeling more positive, you'll start looking at things more positively, and suddenly-- like magic -- things will seem more positive.
Do you have a tendency to use negative speech patterns?
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