Stop Using These 3 Words Today

Being empowered to make change in your life may sound easy. You are the master of your domain, correct? But change is far from easy. Most change processes start because of something broken or not functioning as you want. The need for change rarely comes from a positive place. Think about that. If you want to start an exercise program, the reason why is because you are not exercising now. Feel like your life is out of control with not enough time in the day to get things accomplished? You are struggling to getting it all done. Change doesn't happen because we are happy with our station in life. Change happens because we realize it is time let go of what is no longer serving us.

Yet, time and time again, I see people failing to set a solid foundation for change. How do I know this? Because they regularly use 3 specific words when describing the journey towards change. These # words all have a negative connotation in the framework of change. Those words are Maybe, Try and Busy.

Maybe. Maybe is an adverb that means perhaps. Not a yes and not a no. A might. How can you ever dedicate to the change you want in your life if you leave the word maybe in your dictionary? Example - You have identified that you want to loose weight. So, maybe you will start your diet Monday? When you permit yourself to say maybe you are leaving an excuse on the table in case you fail. An easy way out. If the diet doesn't start Monday who cares? It was a maybe anyhow. What type of empowered change thinking is that? Maybe sets up a foundation in case you don't change. It's a wish - not a commitment.

Try. Try and Maybe a close friends, but try is very sneaky. Where maybe gives you an out, try actually gives you an out AND makes you or someone else feel better in the process. You can use it with others as an act of placation. You can use it on yourself as an excuse. How many times have you said, "Well, at least I tried". Yes you may have tried, but when you are using this word in the context of change, ultimately you failed. That is the raw truth. When you have commited to making a change in your life, leaving a gap for failure cannot be a positive option. Try leaves that gap. As yoda said, "Do, or Do not. There is no try."

Busy. Our last blog post touched specifically on the topic of the glorification of busy. Busy sits between Maybe and Try. It is stronger than maybe because busy put the end to the conversation, whereas maybe shows possible continuation. Example - "I am too busy to help" versus "Maybe I will help". And, busy is more negative than try. Try likes to give you an excuse while opening the door for future possibility. Busy just closes the thought process. For example - (and only for example sake as I do not want you to ever use the word try) - "I will try again" versus "I am too busy". What a fabulous cop-out to word busy provides, huh? Stop saying how busy you are or that you are too busy to make change in your life. First, no one really cares that you are busy (honestly we all have stuff on our plates). Second, you are NEVER to busy to make the change you want in your life. Remember, change happens because we realize it is time let go of what is no longer serving us. There will always be something on your plate. Waiting until you are not busy is a self-fullfilling prophecy for failure.

The goal of this site is to empower change from within you. I challenge you to take these words out of your vocabulary for 1 week. If you need time to stop to make a decision when you hear yourself wanting to say maybe, take pause and think. Rethink the word maybe by providing a yes or no answer. A commitment. Remove the word try. Try is only a word to make you feel better. Once you have commited to the positive change you want, there is only failure (which you can start again) or success (which you can build upon). In place of try, use the mantra Do or Do not for motivation. Replace the word busy with authentic information and prioritization. When you commit internally that the change you seak is a priority in your life, "busy" will not be able to get in your way. By changing your words, you change your thoughts. And your thoughts are what provide motivation for change. Your thoughts are where your empowerment comes from setting a strong foundation for change.