Life can seem difficult and complicated at times, can’t it? I do have to admit it right now, with the risk of alienating myself here, I’m loving my life. I’m 50 plus GST this year (that’s 55 for those of you who have no idea what GST is!), and I finally feel like I’m getting it. The wisdom I seem to have accumulated, my journey with Christianity over the last two years and the purpose I have discovered in my life has helped me see how simple life really is. As you make your way through life, I want to help you move with more ease. So, this week, I want to reinforce the power of every single word you say to yourself and others.
This powerful realisation was again reinforced to me, very simply, as I was taking my fluffy four-legged daughter, Joia, for her walk the other day. We are heading towards winter in Australia, and so it’s starting to get darker in the morning when I get up. I’m up around 5:45am, go and do my personal exercise, then come back and take Joia around the block. It was dark when we set off the other day, and Joia was a little less enthusiastic than normal. The fact that I had dragged her off the comfortable bed, from her snuggling position with Laura, may have had something to do with it.
We were walking up the hill and she was dragging her paws a little. I started wondering if there was something wrong. Maybe she wasn’t well, maybe she had some pain, maybe there was something happening that I didn’t understand. I started complicating the whole situation and creating unnecessary stress and worry for myself. Ever done that before?? I then just said to her, in a loving and uplifting tone, ‘Good girl Joia.’ Incredibly, and all of a sudden, her head lifted, her tail started wagging and she went from a slow, paw-dragging walk, to a happy and playful trot. It was simply the result of a few well-chosen words.
The moment it happened, as I do, I thought about writing this blog! We kept walking and Joia trotted along for a little while, happily weeing, sniffing and exploring. Then, she slowed a little and within a short time was back dragging her paws again. So, I said again, in the same tone, ‘Good girl Joia.’ For the second time, her head lifted, her tail started wagging and she went from her slow, paw-dragging walk, to the same happy and playful trot. This happened a few more times over the course of our walk around the block, and when I got home, it was again reinforced to me, that the power and impact of our words is life-changing. As a result of this story, we can see the impact of our words on others. The words, however, that will have the greatest impact on your life are those you say to yourself.
Words start a domino effect that will lead to TEARS of Joy.
I wrote a blog about this back in June last year, and I’m writing a book because I see it as the foundation of health, happiness and success. To me, it’s all about creating TEARS of joy in life. This means, living a life so meaningful, and, achieving & experiencing things so amazing that it results in tears that can only come through pure and passionate joy. Now, this is clearly an emotional state, so it doesn’t really make sense to turn it into a logical formula.
If, however, we can see how things work, and, we can understand the domino effect of our thoughts and words, and, how they determine our life, then maybe we will pay more attention to the words we say to others and to ourselves. To refresh your memory about this TEARS model, it basically states that every success (or other result) you experience in your life, starts with a thought or words, positive or negative. Those words will lead us to an emotional response, positive or negative, which will move us into action, positive or negative, that over time will reinforce and develop a routine, positive or negative, that will predictably lead us to a result, hopefully a successful one. But it all depends on the thought, or words, we use to start the process.
There was an experiment done on how long people could stand in iced water before it became so unbearable, they had to step out of it. There were two parts to the experiment. The first was when the people were on their own and just had to tough it out alone. The second part of the experiment was held on another day, this time they had someone with them, offering words of encouragement. Interestingly, but not surprisingly, with encouragement, people could bear the cold water for twice as long.
The positive and encouraging words from other people, helped the ice-water-standers feel more encouraged, determined and positive. These positive emotions kept them standing, persisting and enduring the discomfort for the twice the length of time. That’s the power of words. We all need the encouragement of others and, in return, it’s my hope that you will spend your life encouraging and supporting other people, as you would hope to receive that same encouragement. The most important person you need to give positive, encouraging and supportive words to is; yourself!
Remember, the power of your words, and the ripple effect they create, will determine the results you get in life, and, the impact you have on others. Try using simple words and statements like; I can, I’m good enough, yes, let’s do it, it will be done, I’m happy, I’m grateful, thank-you, I can improve, I’m in control, I’m responsible, I will do what’s necessary, it’s okay, I’m amazing, go, great, empower, inspired, deliberate, love etc. These are words that will make you feel strong and supported. These are words that will create positive emotion. These words will get you moving in the right direction to create the habits that will bring abundance into your life.
I hope I have made this week’s message simple enough. The only reason, and I mean the only reason, I played professional sport and became a best selling author, is because of the words I used. I thought, ‘I can do it, I can learn, I can improve and I will persist.’ It was simply these words that started the whole ripple effect that led me to the achievements I’ve enjoyed in my life. It will for you also. Just know that you are in control, you get to choose and that all the success you want in the world, starts with a word… the right word.