Most people are more concerned with expressing their feelings than they are with taking control of them. As a result, they tend to use inflammatory language, that unintentionally, causes them to feel more anxiety than is necessary.

Just changing the words you use – especially in your internal dialog – can have a surprisingly positive effect on how you experience your life. There are hidden assumptions in the words we use that our subconscious takes more seriously than we do.

The word bad implies foreboding, whereas the word off implies temporary.

When we use the word bad we are unconsciously surrendering to our circumstances and it makes us feel horrible. In contrast, by simply changing the word bad to off, we are taking back control of our feelings by viewing these events as part of life and an opportunity to learn and move forward.

Have you ever heard the saying, there’s no sense crying over spilled milk? That saying comes from the way our mind naturally works. The brain – unless consciously trained to operate differently – overvalues the present moment and routinely turns small annoyances into catastrophes.

One of the key components that is required if you want to perform at your peak, is training your brain to view situations in ways that are counter to your brain’s standard way of operating.

One of the easier ways to achieve this is by learning to use different words than we are naturally accustomed to, so that our brain can remain objective rather than reactive when we find ourselves in more challenging situations.

Going forward, make a conscious effort and fight the urge to use the word bad when interpreting events that do not go the way you hoped. You may also want to give expressing things to others with less emotionally loaded words a go.

You can follow Sam on Twitter @SuperTaoInc

Posted in The Mind Side Blog