Over the past few years Mark and I have worked to change our eating. We now eat very little to no gluten, no refined sugar, and no additives or preservatives as much as possible.
My friend and co-worker, Lori, has also been changing her diet over the same time period. Lori shared a vocabulary change she has made that has helped her move from deprived to empowered.
Instead of saying “I can’t eat ice cream,” she says “I don’t eat ice cream.” Instead of saying, “I can’t eat gluten,” she says, “I don’t eat gluten.”
That little word exchange is a game-changer for attitude.
Sometimes the littlest things can make the biggest changes. Changing from “can’t” to “don’t” gives her an empowered sense of choice.
Several weeks ago Michael Hyatt wrote a blog post on a similar word swap, exchanging “get to” for “have to.” As Hyatt reminds us, “Our words have power. They impact others but they also impact us.”
Mark and I have been using “don’t” instead of “can’t” and finding it very helpful in staying true to our choices. It’s taking away the feeling of deprivation and replacing it with a word choice that is empowering.
What a difference exchanging a few words can make!
What about you? Where can you substitute one word or one phrase for another in an effort to change your perspective?
