How to Change Your Life (hint: choose different words)

I can’t do it.

I’m too old.

I don’t have enough time or money.

If it wasn’t for x, then I could…

One day I want to…

Recognize these phrases? They crop up in conversation every day. The excuses that we make to prevent ourselves from actually getting out there and living our lives. These are the justifications that we tell ourselves and others so that we feel okay about staying inside our comfort zone. Opportunities pass us by because we “cannot possibly go out there and do that.” There is simply too much going on, and we have too many responsibilities and obligations, and maybe we could have done it years ago but now it’s too late… life passes us by.

The counterpoint perspective to this opinion that the above phrases are mere justifications tends to be: “yes, other people use those excuses, but for me, the excuses are actually true. There really is stuff going on in my life! I really am this busy! I really can’t go out and achieve my dreams!”

The words that we choose to use are very powerful. Adding on that apostrophe and “t” makes a huge difference to our whole mindset and way of thinking. The way that we think is indicative of what we do, and if we think negatively and believe that we are not capable of our aspirations, then we will stagnate and not do anything.

Pick your words with care. It is a very small detail to drop the apostrophe and “t,” and to start saying “I can…” instead. Especially in the opportunistic, individual-focused society that we live in, our potential is far vaster than we give it credit for.

There are over half a million words in the Oxford English Dictionary. So why do we fall back on the old phrase of “I can’t” so often? The words that we choose directly impact our interactions with others as well as our entire mindset. By saying “I can’t” and reacting negatively to our surroundings, we put ourselves in a position of being unable to fulfill our potential. The power of word choice can dictate how we live our lives: those people with a positive outlook, who speak proudly of their achievements and with determination, are far more likely to succeed in their goals than those who downplay their accomplishments with a demeaning attitude.

We are creatures of habit. Repetition of words and phrases, whether we believe in them or not when we first begin to use them, results in us believing in them after a short while. What we say affects what we do, and when what we do is how we live our lives, it’s evident that the rhetoric we engage in is something we ought to pay a little more attention to. Yes: you can change your life by changing your words. You have at least over half a million possibilities to choose from. What do you choose?