Complete Living: How Language Shapes Life

Words Create emotion Create action Up to 65,000 thoughts a day! Choose your words and labels wisely People with rich vocabularies have a richer experience of life

Language shapes Life Each language has it’s own perceived meaning Something only exists for us if we have a word that describes it ‘Blue’

Words and Labels What are your ‘usual’ words? At home, work What are your ‘usual’ emotions? Pain vs Pleasure Awareness is the key!

Outcomes Words 7% Body Language 55% Emotiona l state Actions Tone 38% Thought s Beliefs Choice Responsibil ity & Decisions Focus

Transformational Vocabulary Change the word, change the emotional intensity Lowering or raising ‘Furious’ …………………….. ‘Shattered’ …………………….. Exercise:

Labels I am He is, she is…. They are….. What do you ‘do’? LOSE them! You are so much more……..

Labels

Metaphors for life Work is….., Life is……., relationships are… I’m drowning……. I’m at breaking point……. I’ve got the weight of the world on my shoulders…… Struggling to keep my head above water… They’ve got a gun to his head…… It’s a dog eat dog world

Metaphors for life… I am a force for good Work is play People are fascinating Life is amazing, Life’s a dance All the world’s a stage Life is a mystery If your metaphors don’t empower you, find new ones!

Quality Questions The quality of our questions determines the quality of our lives Thinking is the process of asking and answering questions Ask a terrible question, get a terrible answer! You WILL be answered! My 7 daily questions

Most important Language TIP: Say it how you WANT it! ‘Don’t run’ becomes…..’walk with me’ ‘Don’t interrupt’ becomes ‘wait until we finish’

Language You can only have or experience that which you can language What do you want? Develop articulate rich language around THAT!

More on language: What about these? I ‘have to’, ‘must’, ‘need’, ‘should’…. vs ‘I could’, I ‘might’, ‘I can’ ‘I will’ ‘I can’t………….. Yet? ‘I can’ or ‘I Choose to’ or ‘I choose not to’ Start becoming aware Exercise

Let’s try it: ‘I hope everyone isn’t late’ ‘I must get this done today’ ‘Stop yelling and making so much noise over there’ Shake your ‘But’!