2995: Watch Your Language! by Shana Olmstead on The Power Of Words

[00:00:00] This is Optimal Relationships Daily, Watch Your Language by Shana Olmstead of shanaolmstead.com Do you remember when your parents used to tell you to watch your language when you were a kid? Back then it was probably about speaking kindly or not talking back, or the use of words that they didn't think were appropriate. Well, guess what? It's still a good idea to watch your language.

[00:00:25] While undergoing the work of transformation, one of the most common things that I work with clients on is their language. So many times I notice a client speaking unkindly about themselves, or speaking about a limiting belief that is holding them back in their lives. While I'm able to point this out to them in session, I know that this is just the tip of the iceberg. If they're letting these statements slip out in our work together, this helps me know that there are so many internal thoughts that are not spoken yet, but are unconsciously running their lives.

[00:00:55] Our words are our wands. They're powerful co-creators of our reality. The words we use in our thoughts and in speaking to others are paving the way for our life experiences. Most often, our subconscious programming in childhood is responsible for any negative or limiting language that we use. This is nobody's fault. Everyone's doing their best. However, even the most well-meaning parents teach their children how to think and speak according to their own unprocessed wounds and emotions.

[00:01:25] If your parent told you that you were lazy or selfish, or even if they spoke that way about themselves, you subconsciously learn to use the same language about yourself. If this is the way you feel about yourself subconsciously, even if another part of you knows that it isn't true, your language and life will continue to reflect this reality to you. This will result in thoughts like, I'm so lazy, I won't be able to finish. Or, I have to do all the things for everyone all the time, or else I'm selfish.

[00:01:56] This makes it impossible to move forward on things in your life that are in your highest good. It keeps you stuck, unable to move forward, and feeling bad about yourself. These words may just be in your head, or you also may be in the habit of expressing yourself in this way to other people as well. The throat chakra is a very powerful vortex. It sends energy to our divine plan. When you speak about your perceived flaws or weaknesses, you are strengthening that patterning within yourself.

[00:02:24] You are creating a stronger and stronger web that keeps you locked into a limited version of reality. Your highest self wants you to grow and evolve and expand. It wants your light to shine and create magic for yourself and your world. It wants you to know that you are powerful beyond measure. The cute little ego is a little scared of that. It would rather you stay scared and safe and tries to keep you that way by scaring the heck out of you with this limiting language.

[00:02:51] If you can begin to create some awareness about when your mind is trying to scare you, you can begin the process of aligning your internal and external language to that of your higher self. You will begin to sense the difference in energy when you are calling yourself lazy versus when you are more gently nurturing to yourself. The language of, I am lazy, is a low vibration, fear-based way of thinking. The meaning is, I am not good enough. I should be doing more. I am not doing enough.

[00:03:20] Forgive yourself for having this pattern inside of you and gently begin reminding yourself of the ways that it is not true. What is some evidence that you have of not being lazy? Even getting up every morning is a great example. The more you can begin focusing on the ways that you are not lazy and proactively shifting your language internally, the less and less lazy you will feel. This will shift your momentum more and more into a non-lazy direction,

[00:03:47] making it even easier to think and speak about yourself in a non-lazy kind of way. Practicing new thoughts like, what if I am relaxed and balanced? And, I am more and more energized every day? We'll continue to move you in the right direction. It's okay to not be the most accomplished person in the world. You don't even really need to change anything at all. Just changing the way you think and speak about yourself changes everything. What if instead of being lazy,

[00:04:15] you're actually a calm, peaceful person who gets everything done that needs to get done and doesn't push it too hard? When speaking to others, it's also important to focus on speaking about what you want, not what you don't want. Rather than retelling the same story about how you don't get anything done because you're tired or lazy, start telling a new story. Tell a new story about how you folded all the laundry today instead of procrastinating. Tell a new story about how you're going to be more positive in your language from now on.

[00:04:46] Just focusing on the one or two small ways that you are shifting your story about being a lazy person will help it grow. This is just one example of the power of language in our lives. There are so many ways we can be working on the awareness of the words that we use and shifting them into alignment with what we want. Who do you want to be? Speak about that, not about the limitations you perceive right now, speak your amazing future self into existence. They're right there waiting for you.

[00:05:18] You just listened to the post titled, Watch Your Language, by Shana Olmstead of shanaolmsted.com. Okay, and a really important reminder from Shana today. Now, she used a really great therapeutic redirect that I love using with my one-on-one clients as well. When she was talking about the belief one might have about how they're lazy, she offered the question, what evidence do you have of not being lazy? This is a really powerful tool

[00:05:47] because oftentimes the way we talk to ourselves or the unwavering ideas we have about ourselves, they only stand to change when we have experiential evidence of something else. So, focusing on that evidence and keeping it top of mind is really important for chipping away at negative self-talk. It can also help to ask this same question of other people too, people that we believe in. You know, we might ask how other people that we have deemed to be lazy have broken free from that,

[00:06:17] what they've done to change the narrative, or ways in which they've shown themselves to not be lazy people. So, we can let them guide the way for us a bit, which can help if, you know, you're the type of person that tends to get the most encouraged by watching others do what you hope to do. And of course, we also stand to learn a lot about our values by looking for evidence against the beliefs that we hold. Maybe when you think of times that you weren't lazy, you find that they're all related to time

[00:06:46] that you spent in your garden, for example. So, this could tell you that maybe you aren't a lazy person, but instead you just save most of your energy for that one thing, your time in the garden. And you discover a whole new level of passion for that thing. Gardening, in this case. So, there's a lot of discovery to be had by asking this question. And I'm really happy Shana brought it up. But, okay, that's going to do it for me today, everyone. Time to get out of your hair. Thank you so much for being here once again and making another episode possible.

[00:07:16] Thank you for doing right by your relationships by tuning in. And I sure hope you do the same tomorrow in our next episode. That's where your optimal life awaits.