Keith JonesApril 15, 2016

Words have power. They have the capacity to create or destroy. Martin Luther King Jr used his “I Have A Dream” speech to uplift a nation and paint a picture of love, connection and acceptance for humankind. Other figures in history leveraged words to destroy communities and divide people. Each of us has the same ability through our words. We can use them to produce positive or negative outcomes.

The people I feel the happiest around are those whose language is almost always positive no matter the situation. Somewhere along the way, they made a choice to be conscious about the words they speak into being. Inspired by their careful attention to language, I began modeling their behavior. I went from being a negative person to an optimistic one. Where I use to see problems, I saw opportunities to be creative and produce the result I wanted. If I didn’t finish at the top in an event, it was no longer win or lose for me, it became win and learn. And when my knees almost prevented me from doing my favorite leg exercises, I stopped talking about the pain and focused on all the awesome movements I could do.

My life changed when I made a commitment to the words I communicate. I saw people differently. I no longer made negative comments about others for being imperfect human beings. Instead, I said loving things such as, “I hope they come out of this happy and whole.” When financial struggles appeared, I faced them by sharing with friends and saying, “This is a chance to reset and revisit my budget and business plan.” And when it comes to my health and age, I look at my friends Linda Dias and Jim Gabriel and say, “Thanks for showing me the way. I have at least 35 more years to be super active. Yes!”

What you say matters. Here are three things you can do today to take control of your experience of life.

1. Be mindful of what you say. Oftentimes we are being negative and don’t realize it. So ask a friend who is almost always positive to point out when you’re being negative.

2. For every negative comment you make about yourself or someone else, say three positive ones to yourself or the person out loud.

3. Pick an area of your life that is the most challenging to be positive about. Write it down in a notebook. Next list 5 ways you can see it in a positive light. Then anytime you think about it or mention it, you do so using the list you made.

Being positive in thoughts, words and actions isn’t natural. Our environment and people around us are often negative. To be positive, you have to train yourself. You can be someone that makes people feel happy and uplifted when they are with you. It starts with words. Inspire yourself and others with your words.

Stronger Mindset,

Keith