Sometimes, subtle differences in our attitude that make major differences in our future can be as simple as the language we use. It’s the difference in how you talk to yourself and others. It’s consciously making a decision to quit saying what you don’t want and to start saying what you do want.
It’s faith—believing in the best, hoping for the best, and moving toward the best.
To be successful, what you don’t do is just as important as what you do. One of the ways to do this is to avoid certain phrases that weaken the rewiring of our brain for success.
Here are the five expressions to remove from your everyday language, and better ones to replace them with, to get the life you want.
1. It’s Too Late Now
Nothing is ever too late. This is something very successful people have come to terms with. When you say it’s too late, your mind shifts from thinking of what to do to the feelings of regret, sympathy, and empathy. But the moment you say it’s too late, it is not too late yet. This is a fact.
It became too late the moment you said it. If you didn’t say it, and you allow your mind to go to work, you can still catch up no matter how behind you seem to be.
Nothing is ever too late. When the thought of “too late” comes to you and you’re thinking of giving up, even at that point it is not yet too late. This is a vital principle of life. Although you can’t erase history, you can still get back on track.
It is not too late. It is never too late to go to school. It is not too late to make the call. Although the deadline date for applications may have passed, it is never too late to prove yourself worthy of the job. If you say it is too late, you are giving up and it will be too late. However, if you refuse to say it is too late and you allow yourself to brood on the matter, you will figure out a way to catch up.
For example, you can miss a birthday but it’s never too late to say express it in the most exceptional fashion. This attitude of “never too late” will take you closer to success like nothing else will. Instead of saying “It’s too late now,” say: “It is never too late!”
2. I Had No Choice
Many often use this phrase to express the reasons for wrong decisions and failures. You always have a choice. There is never a time you are without a choice. In fact, we make choices every day. You chose to read this. I chose to write this. I could have decided to be doing something else or write something else.
Our lives are shaped by our choices. Even at the point of death, you still have a choice. That’s why we use this phrase, “gave up the ghost.” I have heard of someone who took six bullets to their chest and survived while another was hit in the leg by a stray bullet and died. There was someone who had a drilling machine pierce into his skull and survived, while another fell in his bathroom and died. It all boiled down to how much fight is in the person.
There is always a choice. There is always an opportunity cost.
If you say you had “no choice,” you become blinded to the other options you have.
You always have a choice. If you allow your mind to explore your options, you will be surprised how many options are available to you. Instead of saying “I had no choice,” say: “What else can I do?”
3. I Don’t Know How
If you don’t know something and you require that knowledge, you ought to go ahead and learn it rather than announce that you don’t know it. If it is something you don’t care about and it doesn’t concern you, it’s okay.
But, if it is something that has to do with you and your progress in life, never say you don’t know.
You can ask to be given time (to get back) instead. Or, express that you are not ready yet, but you will be soon. Never say you don’t know. There are lots of “how-to’s” available on the Internet. Stop saying “I don’t know how.” Instead, say “Let me figure it out.”
4. I Can’t Afford It
Instead of saying this, why not ask, “How can I afford it?” If you don’t want it, just say you don’t want it. If it is not worth the sacrifice, just say it’s not worth it at this time. Never say you can’t afford something. At least consider how you can afford it. Saying that you can’t afford something shuts your mind off. Asking “How can I afford it?” allows you to see options you didn’t know existed.
5. That’s Impossible
This is like a default phrase of some people. Such people never experience profound success. This is because their minds have been unconsciously drenched in impossibility. Then when they experience a little resistance, they can’t see a way through. It is important to see through circumstances and situations. Instead of saying “that’s impossible,” ask, “how did it happen?”
When you seek to understand, your mind opens up to information, ideas, and possibilities. You become someone that can make things happen. Those who always say, “that’s impossible” never see possibilities and they never do remarkable things; hence they are never successful. Instead of saying “I can’t afford it” say: “What can I do to make this happen?”
Words are everything. With our words, we create and shape the reality of our lives. Negative self-talk is draining, debilitating, and sabotages your life and everything you are trying to accomplish. Research consistently shows how positive self-talk promotes motivation, focus, and success.
Pledge to choose your words carefully from today and for the rest of your life. Replace those words that sabotage success in your life with words that promote options and push you to make good choices toward the life that you want. What you say, to yourself or to others, shapes your reality. When you choose your words, you choose your reality. What are you going to choose for yourself? It is in your hands.
