Ask yourself — how do you start your day?
The power of words. The vocabulary that dominates the mainstream. And that the over-social-media exposed creatures we are, allow it to then dominate us. Entering our subconscious. The self-talk. The stories we then tell ourselves. And others. And very soon, that becomes the (distorted) reality for those willing or forced to listen to us.
2020 (or rather COVID) has changed how we use language, from how we used it months or years ago.
- Zoom is no longer an iPhone camera feature.
- Masks are no longer for Halloween & birthday parties.
- Bubbles (in school) are not about kids blowing soapy water to create rings in the air.
- Lockdown is no longer for those serving sentences in jail.
- Flatten the curve is not just about our belly.
- And my favorite… PPE is no longer just a degree from Oxford (I have to ask my Alma mater to rename my degree course now!)
In the past, we used to stay from negative people — now we avoid (COVID) positive individuals.
So with these words (and many more) now a part of our everyday lexicon in COVID times, how we can get more intentional about creating the thoughts in our mind, that allow us to feel our best and perform our best? That allows us to get into flow, that state of optimal performance.
Language is a key to our everyday genius that everyone has the opportunity to access. Aim to be purposeful about the words we deploy to program our mental selves. Our mindsets.
I use a number of phrases and questions as part of my daily morning meditation practice and then later in the day as needed, to do this meta-programming. So the filters my mind uses, are not colored by others’ thinking.
- This happened for me, not to me
- How can I be the answer to someone’s prayer today?
- Whatever happens, does so for the best, even though I can’t make sense of it now
- There is ‘amazing’ on the other side (of worry/confusion/etc.) — keep climbing
- Progress, not perfection
- Where can I find delight today?
- Everything is figureoutable
- I am excited to do this
- I may not be the smartest in the room, but I sure will be the hardest worker there
- Deliberate practice over time always trumps genius
- What one small step today can bring me miles closer to my dream goals?
- What can I do today to bring joy?
So ask yourself — how do you start your day? By being intentionally ‘programmed’, purposeful, and ready for the day ahead, or being the ping pong ball of someone else’s social media feeds, news headlines, and TV programs?
Both will get you exactly where you want to be….