Significance of Words
A friend once called me out on a single word I uttered.
The word, you might ask?
Babe…
(I had uttered “Hey babe” in response to another person saying to me, “How ya doin, babe?”).
My friend pointed out that I never call her babe, which is true…and I’ve never said it to anybody else for that matter.
Language is a fundamental part of neurolinguistic programming - it’s the linguistic part - and it’s how we communicate with words, body language, etc.
Once I got over the initial sting of being called out for doing something out of character, here was a great opportunity to break state and step back from it and understand what was going on with me.
What did I discover about myself?
First, I was embarrassed to be called out. It was like I had been scolded for a great sin.
(Pretty amazing how those responses still show up.)
And, I felt like an awkward adolescent, and awkward teenager at that moment that I was uttering that word “babe.”
Here’s more I learned:
GUILT - I hadn’t been reaching out to the person and so I was overcompensating for my transgressions.
· TRUTH - She hasn’t really been someone who is healthy to be around, so my lack of communication and interaction were healthy for me. And, besides, the phone works both ways.
FEAR - What if I lose a friend?
· TRUTH - If I lose a friend because I haven’t been in touch, then she’s not a genuine friend after all.
EMBARRASSED – I’m supposed to be a professional teaching my clients self-awareness by example.
· TRUTH – I’m human. I have decades of learning to reverse. I’m open to more learning. This event pushed a few buttons in me. Oh and, buttons can’t be pushed unless they’re already there. Opportunity for clearing! Woo Hoo!
So why am I sharing this with you?
Well, my focus, my business, my passion is helping people recognize where they’re not being authentically themselves. And I firmly believe in going first.
Walking my talk.
If I hadn’t been made aware of it, I wouldn’t have been able to look back and scan myself and find out was going on.
How many moments of future action and reaction could benefit from such deep awareness.
Even better would be if we can anticipate the feeling and circumvent the action/reaction in the first place.
My biggest gifts from this?
How incredibly easy it is that one word can open up so much inner turmoil.
I can gain knowledge and the freedom that leads to letting go of all those embedded beliefs and fears!
When someone calls me out on something, don’t take it personally.
Instead, recognize it as an opportunity to have external eyes and ears on me so that I can then do the same for myself.
If you want to become aware of the words you’re using that directly impact your unconscious mind and lead to unwanted experiences, click the link below and set a time with me to discuss how my approach can help you change your language patterns.
