The Power of Words
We have all heard that THOUGHTS BECOME THINGS or ENERGY FLOWS WHERE THOUGHTS GO & the list goes on. Which brings me to the power of words. Whether you say it out loud or silently to yourself [aka thoughts], they can have a powerful impact on what becomes your reality.
So even though the most powerful change happens on subtler levels than the mind, our mind which consists of words & thoughts can ultimately impact our unconscious. Our unconscious is where limiting & limitless belief patterns are ingrained. Here are a few suggestions to become more mindful in your verbiage. And remember, we all do it, the point of this is to bring awareness to how it shows up.
WANT instead of need
Need comes from a place of feeling incomplete & gives the power to external factors. Everything you "need" you already have, it exists within you, you are whole. By shifting to "want," you get to approach the situation with almost a take it or leave it mentality because whatever it is you want is simply adding to, heightening, amplifying instead of approaching from an implication of lacking.
GET TO instead of have to
This was in a recent TkT & it's a great reminder every time I hear it. Swapping your "have to's" for "get to's" helps to shift your perspective into gratitude. Even try it with the things you might not typically want to do. "I get to go to the dentist" or "I get to wait in line at the DMV." Because even though it can be a huge pain in the rump, not everyone gets to... so finding gratitude in what we take for granted.
I AM EXPERIENCING or I FEEL instead of I am
Ooooo this one is so near & dear to my heart- the identity attachment. If getting rid of the phrase "I am _______" is new for you, start with the simple ones like shifting from "I am happy" to "I feel happy" or "I am anxious" to "I am experiencing anxiety." You are not your emotions or feelings, so don't let yourself & your life be defined by them.
For those who have played around with this idea of non-attachment, you can explore taking it a step further by shifting from "I am a sister" to "I am playing the role of sister" or "I like to run" vs "I am a runner" or "I play the role of director of operations" vs "I am the director of operations." What were you before you became a mother? Or when you aren't cycling? Or employed? Get it?!?! The roles you play change & you are more than what you do.
Be real instead of the exaggeration complex
I’ll share a quick story for this one.
A couple weeks ago, I kept saying "I was struggling with ...." At a certain point, I hit this wall of exhaustion. I thought about the narrative in which I said to myself over & over and, at times to others, that I was "struggling" with this one particular situation. What is struggling? To me, it sounds like I would be in a pretty awful state or at a point of desperation. Was I really struggling? Sure, at moments my thoughts were pretty absorbed in this particular situation, I was in the feedback loop, & I had feelings of uncertainty... AND I was far from actually struggling. My day to day was really not drastically impacted whatsoever by this situation that I was "struggling" with in my mind. By repeatedly telling myself this, my mind began to believe in this struggle & perhaps accentuate it which caused me to be physically, emotionally, energetically drained. We do this ALOT, a slight exaggeration repeated over & over again becomes our reality.
Another aspect of the exaggeration complex is the "always" & "nevers." Be mindful how you are using those words [especially with your lova'.] If you're going to have the exaggeration complex, I encourage you to do it with thoughts, phrases, & words that serve you.
Bonus round: Stop the psychic punches & SEND LOVE NOTES
Hatred, jealousy, anger, "[expletive] you" to another is coming right back at you or may accidentally get intercepted by someone else. Please consider raising the vibrational energy of your words & expression. If you have been feeling exhausted over the last [more than a] few months, take a look at what kind of words & content you have been consuming. When you consider the vibrational energy you are taking in with the news & media & conversations, it should come as no surprise that you feel a heaviness in your life.
In my Healing with Spiritual Light course, Sandra Ingerman talks about transmuting negative energy. She says that people are unconscious of what they are sending out into the world. If you are angry, you can still express it & feel it without sending out darts that will hit others. If you feel one of those darts coming your way she suggests to "return to sender WITH LOVE." This article has a few more amazing suggestions for transmuting toxic thoughts.
This is an excerpt from my weekly newsletter, Toolkit Tuesday, which you can read here or sign up to receive here.