Today’s topic seems almost like it has nothing to do with meditation, and yet, I think it has everything to do with it. To be able to follow with this practice, a quiet and attentive mind is necessary, and that you can achieve through various ways I talked about in my previous article, “Ways to Meditate—Even with a Busy Life.” If you want to succeed in your meditation practice, be aware of the words you are using or listening to. You will get where you want much faster while meditating or following guided meditation, which was designed to empower you, so start paying attention to the words.
Consider this: When I say to you, “Don’t think of a banana,” the first thing your mind does is bring an image of a banana. Now, you can try to forget about it … . Understand that our minds can’t register denials, it can try to only “forget.” That’s why when we say, for example, “Ice cream is not good for you,” our minds register first: “Ice cream is good for you.” Then our minds try to undo, but throughout the repetition, we condition it to believe the positive.
The same goes for all the negative statements surrounding us. Signs such as “Don’t smoke,” “We are against war” and “No more violence” create unwanted images. Even if you try to be clever by saying to yourself, “Today, I will reduce the level of stress in my life by practicing meditation,” you set yourself on a path to stress. Why not start with “Bring more peace” instead?
See, to every negative statement, there’s an optimistic, empowering one such as “Smoke-free zone,” “We are pro-peace” and just “Freedom!” Even if these statements don’t mean the exact same thing sometimes, they are so much more effective in bringing good vibrations and balance to our lives.
By finding the right opposite words to negative expressions, we are setting on a new path to personal power, peace and events that will bring a better quality of experience in our lives. Tasks stop being “difficult”; they become “challenging.” “Scary” people will seem “eccentric,” or “distant,” and a “boring job” can be “one of the things I can do best!”
Throughout the day, slow down your thoughts and words and catch yourself saying those negative statements. Write them down if you can and find the opposite empowering and positive representations. Practice this simple tactic of shifting your focus toward positive statements and, in time, it will become second nature.
Then, it’s just a matter of time until you start shifting. You become more confident, peaceful and happy. Optimism can be exercised, let me tell you that.
Watch your thoughts;
they become words.
Watch your words;
they become actions.
Watch your actions;
they become habit.
Watch your habits;
they become character.
Watch your character;
it becomes your destiny.—Lao Tzu, a philosopher of ancient China
Exercise
Your homework is to write down 10 beliefs about you and your life. Then, examine them for negative words and, if you find any, cross them off and replace with a positive one you feel comfortable with and that’s true to you.
Examples:
1. “My life is going nowhere.”
Replace this negative statement with “My life is a series of unknown accidents, and I’m excited about not knowing where it is going to.”2. “Nobody likes me.”
Replace this negative statement with “There are very special people who like me, and that makes me feel very special, too.”3. “You can’t trust anybody.”
Replace this negative statement with “Trust is a belief that I am safe in this world because I do no harm to anybody. The universe respects that and keeps me safe.”4. “I hate my job. No one respects me or appreciates the work I do.”
Replace this negative statement with “I’m an amazing (your position)! It’s a secret no one seems to know, but I’m good at keeping the secret.” Yes, it can be funny like that, but remember, it has to be true to you.5. “I will never find the job that satisfies me.”
Replace this negative statement with “I’m sure there’s the perfect job opportunity for me waiting behind a corner. I just need to find which one.”6. “Eating meat is not the best for you.”
In my mind, this is a double-negative statement because it says a good thing about bad thing. Your mind can’t register negatives, remember? I would replace it with “Eating meat is bad for you.”7. “I can’t lose weight no matter what I do.”
Replace this negative statement with “Losing weight is a challenge, and I’m strong enough to win this game” or “When I allow myself to lose weight slowly, I get there healthfully.”
Notice, instead of “if” I use “when,” as I’m always going for a stronger, more empowering statement.
I want to share another example. I could say, “There’s no doubt in me when I say, ‘When I will …'”, and I could also say, “There’s a power and conviction in me when I say, ‘When I will …’.” Do you see the difference? Both statements mean about the same thing. One is full of doubt, and the other, empowering and calling for action. Starting to understand now?
Be very careful how you express yourself because, depending on which words you use, you show either confidence or doubt in your environment, and that reflects back on you. Even if no one around you understands this principle, I can promise you that our brains pick up every little thing, registering your body language and words, shaping an image of you. That reflects on how are you perceived and what comes to you.
Also, notice what music you listen to, what words and stories your favorite bands create and whether you need these to create your world. Think about that.
To close, if you want great things to happen in your life, you rise to become great. That means to love and express yourself in a conscious way, projecting a strong, peaceful, courageous, happy and open mind.
There’s so much more we could explore here about effective communication and achieving goals, but this is not the place and time. I want to leave you with one last impression. I want to share these videos—”The Power of Words”—to give an example of how by changing words you can realize instant results. How, with just words, you can trigger an emotional state in your audience to open up to compassion and generosity.
Enjoy Fruitarianna’s Complete Meditation Series
Story 1: This Is My Meditation
Story 2: Ways to Meditate—Even with a Busy Life
Story 3: Practicing Awareness with Words
Check out Anna’s transformation interview!
