It’s amazing what a phenomenal difference words make in the way we perceive reality.

Take for example, Thursday’s news about 72-year-old Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s alleged affair with an 18-year-old aspiring model.

A Word of Difference

The Wall Street Journal reports that he denied on Thursday having a “spicy” relationship with that model.

What sort of imagery does the word “spicy” conjure up in your mind?

It certainly doesn’t feel illicit in any way, does it?

What if he had used the word “sexual” (reminds you of another politician of recent history?), or “sordid“, or “filthy“…

Do you see how the different shades of the same emotion can make a world of difference in how you interpret reality?

Master of Your Universe

The same principles apply to everything else you experience in life…

Every experience, every event, every sensory input your brain encounters is colored — and altered — by the words you use to describe them to yourself.

Two people could look at the same event, and the words they use to describe that event could cause them to experience completely different emotions.   (incidentally, that is one of the main reasons eyewitness testimony is so notoriously unreliable).

Think about it…  When was the last time someone cut you off on the highway?  When was the last time someone didn’t let you make a lane change into theirs?

What did you call them in your own mind?  Did you use words like “a poor person in a rush” or “that a**hole, son-of-a-gun”?

You could have picked either alternative, couldn’t you?  In fact, that guy may have actually been in a mad rush to get somewhere, right?

Can you imagine how differently you would have felt had you consciously chosen the milder, easier to live with alternative?

Make a Commitment

Being deliberate and careful in choosing the words you use to describe your own reality is such an easy and yet incredibly effective technique.

It can change your life in an instant, literally!

Your Mission…

Should you choose to accept it…

Make a commitment, right now, to be mindful of your own vocabulary for the next 3 days and experience the difference for yourself.

• Instead of using words that spur painful emotions, use words that lessen the impact of those emotions. For example…

  Instead of…	Use…
  angry, furious, livid	annoyed
  hurt, betrayed	bothered
  disappointed, disgusted	underwhelmed
  exhausted, wiped out	a little droopy
  insulted, irritated	misunderstood
  overwhelmed	in demand

• Instead of using words that mute good emotions, use words that supercharge them. For example…

  Instead of…	Use…
  All right, ok, fine	fantastic
  good, great	phenomenal
  like	relish, cherish
  nice, okay	spectacular
  quick	explosive
  strong	invincible

Do this for just 3 days and see the impact it will make in the way you feel about life, your work, and yourself.

And then come back here and post a comment to let me know how it worked out for you!