Powerfully Positive Words

There is an unwavering rule in my house

"Stupid" and "shut up" are bad words and we are never to use them on one another. Think about it. How do you feel when you hear these words? I certainly don't feel positive, heard, or valued when someone directs them at me.

How about in the work place? Which feels better coming from your boss: "This report sucks! You totally blew it. It's not that hard, get back to your office and do it right!" or "Nice effort on your report. I will work with you to improve a few areas." In both cases the report needs to be corrected. What's the difference?

What about the Debbie Downer in the crowd. She's the one that hates this and hates that. She says she never has enough time, money, nice things, behaved children, whatever. She complains that she's too fat, tired, busy. All that negativity makes her no fun to be around.

One of men's biggest complaints about women is that they nag. "You don't ever..." "You're so sloppy, lazy, late..." "When was the last time you...." Ouch! Seriously, what guy wants to snuggle up to someone who talks this way! It's amazing how words impact us

Pay attention to how you feel when certain words are used

Do you feel confident, positive, and hopeful when you speak? Even in a negative situation, positive words can be used. For example, you're sick with a cold, your head is stuffy, and your temperature is a bit high. How can you sound positive when you feel horrible? You can! When asked how you're feeling, try saying something such as, "I'm sure looking forward to feeling like my old self again." It's much better than muttering that you are miserable and want to die.

What about giving feedback to your girlfriend when she's late yet again. You're frustrated, annoyed, and disappointed. If you use shaming words, it's a pretty certain bet your fun event will be iced over with hurt feelings. But it is important that you address the situation. Here's a suggestion: Tell her you appreciate it when she's on time. That it helps you relax and guarantees a good attitude on your part.

Does all of this positivity sound silly?

Maybe. But, positive words uplift and establish a powerful sense of well-being. Doesn't everyone want to feel this?

I borrowed the following lists of words from Every Word Has Power by Yvonne Oswald. One is a list of words to remove from your language. The other list of words are optimistic, high energy words. Don't limit yourself to these lists! There are many, many more words that can be added to both.

Avoid using these Negative Power words

afraid	angry	anxiety	bad
blocked	bottom	broke	cheap
cheat	control	criticize	dark
difficult	disease	disempower	doubt
down	envy	expensive	failure
fear	forget	guilt	hard
hate	idiot	ill	lazy
lose/loser	mean	nasty	old
poor	problem	putdown	rage
reaction	reduce	rule	sad
separate	shame	sick	small
sorrow	stupid	sue	tying
war	weak	worry	wreck

Instead, use these Positive Power words

achieve	baby	beautiful	choose/choice
dream	easy	energy	enthusiasm
family	father	feel	funny
future	God	happy	harmony
heart	humor	improve	knowledge
mom	money	new	please
popular	positive	profit	release
results	safety	sexy	smart
success	sweet	thanks	unique

Using words for the positive is so powerful! Try switching out the negative words from your vocabulary. Get creative and find ways to only use positive impactful words. You'll be surprised how you feel.I guarantee those around you will appreciate the shift.