The words we speak, and think aloud, affect our lives in many ways. Just as it is harmful to surround yourself with negative people, thinking negative thoughts also has an affect on your moods, thoughts, and attitude. When you think a thought, or even a simple word, it becomes a part of your day.
These three words should be eliminated from your mind and speech:
1. Stress
Any words that denote a form of stress, such as “I’m nervous, angry, ticked off, etc.” may actually put you further into that emotion. Blaming others by saying such things as “they make me so mad” is seriously flawed thinking. We create stress in our own minds; we can choose whether to be nervous or upset about a situation, or we can choose to brush it away as just a part of life.
Also, when we say, “he/she makes me happy” we are wrong. We each hold the power to choose what makes us happy or sad; other people may contribute to our happiness, but we create the feelings.In stressful situations, stop and think about the full situation: is it worth stressing over? Stress in bad for the heart, and bad for the whole system. Next time you find yourself reaching that stressful point, stop, close your eyes, take a few deeps breaths while slowly counting to 10. Once you are a bit calmer, you can usually find a solution to whatever is bothering you.
2. Regret
Most of us have probably heard someone say, “You are going to regret it.” People usually mean well, but regret is one word that should not be a part of your daily life. Why? There is no changing the past, no matter how much you may wish you had done things differently. Wondering how things “could be different now” if you had done something, or had not done something else, is not good for you.
Life is a series of lessons to be learned. We make mistakes along the way, learning from each mistake. If you spend time dwelling on each past mistake, you will never be able to move forward. Stop regretting things that happened in the past, this can drive you crazy, and will always lead to the same conclusion – you cannot change your past!
Instead of regretting what you did in the past, learn what you can from your mistakes. Focus on that lesson, and apply it to your present life, and take it to your future.
3. Want
Want is not as bad a word as the first two; we all want things to enhance our lives. However, instead of saying “I want”, change it to “I will”. Let’s say you want to take a trip to Alaska this summer. Instead of saying, “I want to go to Alaska this summer.” say, “I will go to Alaska this summer.” By saying “I will” you set yourself up for a better outcome. No longer is it just a want, but a conscious decision to actually do it.
This goes for almost anything in life that you could possibly want. From material possessions, to true love, changing the word “want” into “will” makes you become more actively involved in reaching that goal.
Healthy, successful people tend to drop negative thoughts and words from their vocabularies. Start today by eliminating these three words and watch as your new life unfolds before you.
