7 Ways Your Language Shapes Your Thinking

Inbsp;was born in Argentina so I speak Spanish. I learned to speak English in the fourth grade here in my home in Melbourne, Australia. My everyday language is English but I can switch to Spanish in an instant, and I can evennbsp;thinknbsp;in Spanish. When you think in another language its not only words that are different but how they are used, their cultural meaning and implications according to social morays and ethnic mindset.I remember as a child living in Buenos Aires how people called out to each other as eithernbsp;‘gordo o flaco’,nbsp;meaning fat or skinny. This would be an insult in my culture today, but totally acceptable in Argentine street culture even today.When we think about language we dont often stop to think about the process that is at work. Many of us understand what is meant by the glass half full or half empty, as a popular adage. We associate it immediately with optimism or pessimism. Our language is directing our thinking.Language has the power to build or tear down. How aware are you of what you are saying daily, and how you are saying it? Because our language directs our thinking every day, it is plausible that the kind of language you use and the kind of mindset that you have adopted is keeping you from getting the results you want.Here are some insights into language you may find surprising. By simply changing some words and how we use them, we can get different results.1. Guilt in LanguageLanguages shapes how we understand causality. English speakers tend to say things like John broke the vase even for accidents. Spanish speakers would be more likely to say the vase broke itself. Such differences between languages have profound consequences for how their speakers understand events, construct notions of causality and agency, what they remember as eyewitnesses and how much they blame and punish othersnbsp;writes Stanford psychology professor Lera Boroditsky (an expert in linguistic-cultural connections) in thenbsp;Wall Street Journal2. Gender in LanguageIn many languages, we call things either male or female. In English,nbsp;thenbsp;table is neutral, whereas in Italiannbsp;ilnbsp;tavolo (the table), the wordnbsp;ilnbsp;is masculine. In Spanish,nbsp;lanbsp;mesa (the table), the wordnbsp;lanbsp;is feminine. For a native speaker, the gender invokes different feelings and responses depending on whether the thing is masculine or feminine, harder or softer, stronger or fragile. The language itself paints the picture in the mind of the speaker.3. Gracious LanguageHere were talking about saying...nbsp;good morning, please, thank you, thats so kind of you, can I help you?nbsp;These are the kind of words and phrases that invoke good will, kindness and understanding. We really feel it when people dont thank us for doing something that deserves a thank you, dont we?4. Grandiose LanguageHow many times have you gone to a party and had the misfortune having to listen to stories about whatnbsp;theynbsp;did, how greatnbsp;theynbsp;are, and whatnbsp;younbsp;should be doing? You just want the phone to ring! If a person is not aware that they are only speaking about themselves, you may feel that they are untrustworthy and lacking in integrity.nbsp;If a person exaggerates often, you are not likely to trust their version of the facts nor trust their advice in the future.nbsp;5. Garage LanguageIts the kind of ‘poetic expression’ that makes us feel like one of the boys (or girls), and you know what I mean. When every second word is the F word, there seems to be an air of legitimacy around whats been talked about. Im not sure why that is, but Im sure it can be manipulated to gain attention. Some people think swearing equals authenticity while other feel its a lack of language skills.6. Growth LanguageIm referring to the kind of language we use to inspire, facilitate and cause personal growth...nbsp;I can, I will, I will succeed. When you use the wordsnbsp;cannbsp;andnbsp;will,nbsp;you activate the focus and action parts of your brains that looks for confirmation and opportunities in your environment to fulfill your goal.When we use words likenbsp;should, could,nbsp;andnbsp;would, we set ourselves up for defeat. In these words there is no power, no resolve, no action and no results. Its the kind of defeatist language that leads to a lottery kind of wishful thinking that someday it will magically appear or go away.I suggest pressing the pause button and instead realizing that youre not ready to make a decision about that right now. This is being kind to yourself, non-comittal, and at the same time, leaving you feeling challenged. To be true to yourself you will follow up on that. What yourenbsp;notnbsp;doing is lying to yourself, making false promises, undermining yourself and creating an unconscious mistrust in the promises that you make to yourself. You are simply not taking onnbsp;the loadnbsp;right at this very moment.In your desire to grow, dont allow comparison to others, guilt trips and your own wishful thinking to dictate the when and the where. Do set clear goals. Do continue to be kind to yourself. Do commit to action in what you promised yourself you will do. But dont pretend, dont try, either do it or dont, but you decide.7. Greater LanguageUse language to your advantage. Use language that will support you, inspire you and challenge you. Im not talking just about positive affirmations. The way this works is you need to write down for yourself phrases that you connect with and phrases that are true of you.Here are some of my personal examples:I am at my best when Im under pressureWhen I decide I commit, and I go all the wayI dont act on my feelings, I act on my willI am more than enough, I am worthy, I am a giverPractice your own particular lines until they feel like the real you. Even if you feel you’re no where near, you can use your language steer you in the direction you want . Word by word, sentence by sentence you can train and condition yourself to think differently, and what you experience in your personal and professional life will start to fall in line with your heart felt desires.Claude Arganaraznbsp;is a Life amp; Executive Coach for professionals who want to be at their best. He helps clients find balance, stress less, gain direction and focus without the hype or hard work.nbsp;Visitnbsp;claudecoaching.comnbsp;for more, and to start your journey to creating the life you want today.