Hope, Fear, and the Power of Language

 “I know you lawyers can, with ease,Twist words and meanings as you please;That language by your skill made pliant,Will bend to favour ev’ry client.”~ Fables 1738

Yes, the Language You Use Does Matter!

As I write this, the response to the coronavirus pandemic 2020 is ratcheting up daily. If you turn on the news or you aren’t careful with your Facebook feed you’ll find that you are inundated with fearful, panic-stricken language and unless you are ultra-careful, awake, and resilient your emotions and mindset will be sucked into the vortex.

Most people don’t even think about the words they hear or the ones they use, but they most certainly feel the impact of those words in their minds, hearts, and bodies. It’s one of the reasons why Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) is such a powerful transformative force:

students become aware of the language they use and the way they talk to themselves as well as others. Words and language are, by nature, pliant. You can use them to foster hope, creativity and positive momentum or you can use them to burden others with fear, panic, and inadequacy.

Would You Be Embarrassed if You Saw a Transcript of Your Unconscious Self-Speaking?

Most people have a constant inner dialogue with themselves, but few people are aware of what they are saying. During times of stress and change the volume of that inner dialogue rises a couple of notches which makes it easier to ‘overhear’ what you’re saying to yourself.

Try it. Take a moment to listen to your conversation with yourself.

Now, let me ask you…

• Are those words going to help you progress… or will they encourage you to sit on the sidelines?
• Will they help you engage with the world… or check out from your mission, your business, and your goals?
• Do they encourage you passive despair… or to take personal responsibility for growth and action?

 You’re an Empowered Human Being… You Are Responsible for Your Programming!

Whatever you heard yourself saying…

And whatever people around you say…

You get to choose who you listen to!

At the start of this article, I talked about how NLP makes you aware of the language you use. Once you are aware of something, you have the ability to make choices and to change.

If you immerse yourself in pessimism, fear-mongering, and panic (even when there is justification) you can’t help being infected by it. They used to say that a child needed to hear five positive comments for every negative one. Too much criticism meant that they simply couldn’t act on the advice they heard. The same is true for all of us: firstly, we need to be aware of the negativity (accurate or otherwise), secondly, we need to dilute it with positivity.

By all means say abreast of the current situation, but for every 5 minutes of news, spend 25 minutes learning something new, reading a positive book, watching a positive or funny movie, really listening to uplifting music!

N.B. You may get a shock if you actually listening closely to the words of your favourite songs. A lot of them are full of despair, loss, and anxiety that contribute to your negative emotions.

Do You Want to Make the Most of this Time?

One of my most popular live workshops has always been “Confident Closing”. During the workshop we don’t simply address techniques for closing sales, we also discover the relationship between sales and influence, the importance of sales skills for non-‘salespeople’ (i.e. everyone!), how to develop a confident mindset and much more.

Since I’ve had to cancel the upcoming live event, I’m turning it into a Virtual Event - 5 daily sessions of teaching and interaction, with daily Q&A, assignments and more. It will start Monday March 30th at 12:00 AEST. There will be a fresh session each day and also access to recordings.

Don’t press pause on your life just because you need to practice ‘social distancing’… Make this a time of professional and personal growth. Click here for more details.