Using Empowering Language

What is the difference between using empowering language and the way that most people speak? It’s enormous! It is the difference between winning and losing. Getting to your goal or not.

One of the huge differentiating factors comes from the questions we ask. Most important is what we ask ourselves and secondly, what we ask of others.

Asking good questions is the key to success. Good or even great answers can come only from good questions. For instance, listen to the difference between the following: Why am I so broke? vs How can I make more money? Do you hear the difference in the attitude?

Question one is asked with a sad-sack attitude. Furthermore, it leads to all kinds of answers, none of which are helpful at all. Who even really wants to hear all of the deflating answers to that line of questioning?

Question two is full of hope. It leads to many answers full of possibilities that will make a great difference in the life of the asker, if implemented.

When beginning to ask yourself better questions, it can seem to be overwhelming. If you have had the habit of asking yourself unhelpful questions up until now, a really good question to begin to ask yourself is: What is the next step for me to take to move me closer to my goal?

The truth of the matter is that you don’t have to know everything in order to make progress. You only need to know what the next step is and then take it. Each new step sheds new light on what the next step should be.

Very important to understand: Some of your steps will seem to be missteps. The reality is that each step creates a new vantage point from which to assess the situation. You will be able to see new possibilities from each new spot where you stand after taking yet another step (even baby steps). You might just have to take a small detour off of your current path in order to see a much more expedient way to get where you want to go. Something you never would have seen from where you were before. These are called happy accidents. Most (probably all) profound discoveries came from experimentation.

An overview is good, but you can’t possibly see every alternative before you turn each new corner. Continuing to ask what is my next step and then taking it will get you where you want to go (or possibly somewhere better) so much faster than trying to plan every moment of trip in advance.

Speaking of trying, try is an extremely dis-empowering word. Trying is not doing. Doing is the only way to get anywhere. The word try implies a built in excuse for not achieving.

When you begin using empowering language, you must banish certain words from your vocabulary. A good list to start with is try, should and could.

Should and could are also excuse words. Either you will or you won’t. Be decisive.

Pay attention to the way that successful people speak. They are not wishy washy. They speak with authority. You can too! It just takes practice.

The more you keep asking, answering and taking action, the more you build up your decisiveness muscles. The first step toward getting where you want to go is using empowering language. It will help get you there!