Choose your words carefully

How self-awareness with respect to your choice of words can create a shift in your Mental State

Words have power, and how you speak makes a difference, so choose your words carefully. It makes a difference in your mental state, your attitude towards living life, and how you experience things on a daily basis.

As a die-hard fan of NLP, and Linguistics is the core of NLP and of a true NLP Practitioner. I have been making progress with my coaching clients, in my training, how I speak with myself and others, by applying the Linguistics patterns, and understanding of these patterns on a regular basis.  The real test is when you have to apply it to yourself when you are not aware. At times when you are not aware you might fail to apply it to yourself.

A few years back, I was talking to a friend and was talking about my schedule, which generally was very busy.  I was stressed out with too many back-to-back training and coaching assignments.  I told my friend that I have to go to Dubai next week, and then I have to go to Malaysia next month.   I also have to meet my prospective clients in New Delhi, this week. My friend looked at me with sympathy.  At that point, I got distracted by the sound of an ambulance siren, and when I looked back at my friend, he said, ‘Damn this noise,  it is so irritating, takes away my mental peace’. Suddenly, I became aware of my mental peace, and my choice of words.  I did not have to go to Dubai, nobody was forcing me to go.   I became aware of the pressure  I was putting on myself while speaking that way.   I became aware of how fortunate I was that I could go to Dubai, and if I was more aware of my choice of words (more so when I am stressed), it would make a huge difference.

These are NLP Meta Model patterns (Model Operators):

• I have to go to the training
• I have to meet my prospective clients
• I should be studying
• I ought to go to the music class daily
• I need to go to college tomorrow

These sentences (With Model operators – With words like – Should, have to, need to, ought to etc) exhibit a force, when you say that to yourself.  If you raise your self-awareness and become more aware of your language pattern, and tell yourself,  ‘I will go to the training’, ‘I will be studying’, ‘I will go to the music class’, ‘I will go to college’, or you can add a bit of extra to your language pattern by saying, ‘I am fortunate, I get to go to college’, ‘I am privileged, I get to study, as there are many others who want to, but can’t’, ‘I am blessed, I get to go to music class daily’, ‘I am fortunate, that I get to meet my prospective clients. I have prospective clients in abundance’ it would be definitely better. If you are leveraging your self-awareness, and choose your words carefully, especially when you speak you can change how you feel.

How do you become more aware of your language pattern?

1. Slow down your pace of verbalizing things, at times mouth operates using its own mind and speaks out. So slow down, while speaking, till you get a grip on what you say, and how you say it.
2. Develop the gratitude muscle in your mind: Take some time to become aware of your daily routine, and add an element of gratitude around how you do those tasks.
3. Maintain a journal: Take some time out from your schedule, and write about what you do on a daily basis, and how it is connected with your long-term objective, and what mental states you get into on a daily basis when you

Words have power, and if you choose your words carefully, you will experience a significant shift in how you live your life.  How to choose your words, is a learnable skill!