Why Your Words Work Wonders

LIFE LESSON

Confession: I am one of the few people who actually reads the dictionary for fun.

To celebrate National Dictionary Day (October 16th), I am sharing with you a childhood memory. My grandmother gave me a leather-bound dictionary for my eleventh birthday. I’ve made reference in other posts that as a result of spending a lot of time in hospitals as a child, I learned how to read by age three. My grandmother was a driving force behind that.

Also while I was in the hospital, she and I would spend time playing a game of her own devising, one in which we would try to best each other in being able to think of words, based on their first letter. For instance, the letter A: taking turns, we’d list a word at a time, with the winner being the one who could list the most. For example, agree, agate, acquire, access, aquamarine, assent, assertive… and so on, until one of us would be unable to think of any more.

My love of words and their nuance is one of the reasons I chose to pursue a career in advertising, media and publishing. Words have power. The naming of something not only literally defines it, but from that definition, a word’s connotations have additional power and influence.

For example, consider the words

? amble

? saunter

? stride

? mince

? stumble

? perambulate

Each of the above can mean “to propel oneself forward bipedally” or to walk, but each has its own distinctive connotation. Pretty neat, huh?

What are some of your favorite words (and why?).

LIFE HACK

Speaking of the meanings of words and phrases, Even if you aren’t a golfer, you may be familiar with the phrase “to take a mulligan.”

While there are several versions of the origin of this phrase, the most widely accepted one focuses on a gentleman named David Mulligan who played at the St. Lambert Country Club in Montreal, Canada during the 1920s.

Mr. Mulligan was a hotelier in the first half of the century, a part-owner and manager of the Biltmore Hotel in New York City, as well as several large Canadian hotels. One story says that the first mulligan was an impulsive sort of event — one day Mulligan hit a very long drive off the first tee, just not straight. Acting on impulse, he re-teed and hit again. His partners found it all amusing, and decided that the shot that Mulligan himself called a ‘correction shot’ deserved a better name, so they called it a ‘mulligan.’

In honor of National Mulligan Day (Monday, October 17th), here’s an optional homework assignment. Think about something that seems to repeat itself in your life, whether it’s a relationship/family issue, a money issue or something work related. Is there a common theme? Do you find yourself asking for ‘do-overs’ around a specific action?

If so, what is your part in its continuing presence in your life? Want to let it go? The first way to move past it is to ask yourself, “What can I do today that will help me break this connection?” Then do it. Just remember, there’s a certain grace that accompanies second chances — don’t be afraid to extend yourself the courtesy.

TREAT

Today is National Train Your Brain Day! Huzzah and exhortations of joy! To celebrate, I'm offering a bundle: a paperback copy of my book, Circuit Train Your Brain and its companion publication, Self Care Scribbles (a coloring book with journaling prompts, affirmations and self care tips). Together, they're a $24 value. Today only, they're available for just $15, including shipping in the United States. Send me your preferred snail mail address and the funds here.

P.S. We’ve launched the online version of the FutureU Self Care Summit! If you're unable to join us in person in Chicago next January, you can livestream the entire event from the comfort of your own home. There’s also a digital library and exclusive behind the scenes interviews that’s only available via the online version. Learn more and register here!

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An author, media consultant, life coach and speaker, Molly Cantrell-Kraig has been recognized as one of CNN’s Visionary Women, been profiled by both the Christian Science Monitor and the Shriver Report. Cantrell-Kraig has also been interviewed on the Women’s Media Center and the BBC, speaking on such topics as women, independence, gender roles and life transitions. As a catalytic change-agent, Cantrell-Kraig is a self-described work in progress whose focus is on helping others achieve their goals by sharing her own experiences.