Gary Nelson shares advice on how to change the words you use to make sure negativity does not seep into your working life…
Does anyone remember the sitcom ‘Sorry’ from the 1980s or is that me showing my age?
There was a character called Timothy Lumsden played by Ronnie Corbett, who was constantly being remined to watch his language.
People used to say to him ‘language Timothy’.
And while I was out on an early morning walk, I had a moment that I’ve called ‘language Timothy’, and it is to do with negative language and how it can creep into your working life.
So here are a few tips on how to avoid negativity spreading.
Relentless
While on one of my morning walks, that I have been doing through the pandemic, the word relentless popped into my head and I could not stop thinking about how the last year has been relentless for everyone.
However, I am old enough to know words like relentless are just pointless, negative words.
They do not make you happy and thinking negative words and thoughts can bring you down.
So when it popped into my head, I said to myself, ‘language Timothy’, or ‘language Gary’, is what I should have said.
As I walked further, I thought about how negativity can seep into our lives and it brought me to a quote I heard a few years ago.
‘Watch your thoughts, they become your words; watch your words, they become your actions; watch your actions, they become your habits; watch your habits, they become your character; watch your character, it becomes your destiny.’
~ Lao Tzu
With that quote in mind, next time you hit the ‘frustration wall’ or the ‘relentless barrier’, why not try telling yourself, ‘language Timothy’.
It is such a silly phrase; however, it does help to change your thoughts.
And remember to follow the wise words of Lao Tzu: watch your words, they become your actions.