Power of Words - EXERCISE

Realize ... Recognize ... Understand ...

It's Your Life ... and Your Choice

Using the Power of Words - Have you ever wondered where all your beliefs, your values, your thoughts, your judgments, assumptions and opinions originated from?

Read the following story which is an example of the Power of Words and how other peoples opinion can shape our lives.

For as long as I can remember my friend Sarah has had a problem with expressing emotion. Ask Sarah how she feels and her stock standard answer would be: "Fine". Because of this Sarah earned herself the nickname of "Sarah Fine".

Now Sarah is an ardent follower of any and all Self-Help, Self-Healing and Self-Improvement Books and Courses. She has read and studied just about any and every book ever written on the subject, be it; How to get rid of Anger, Finding Love, Ten EASY Steps to a Better Life, Improve your Relationships, Find out What you Really Want, Manifesting your Dream, Creating Abundance and these are only in the self-help department. She has also completed a myriad of Self Healing and Self Development Courses like Healing with Crystals, Healing with Color, How to Heal with Angels, Reiki, Be a Better Boss, Improve your Selling Skills, Better Sex in Ten Days, Perfect in Thirty and so the list goes on.

Sarah phoned me the other day with the following words: "Elmarie, I need HELP I feel as if I keep on walking into the same brick wall, none of the books or courses are working for me".

I met Sarah for coffee and instead of the "Sarah Fine" with a smile on her face, the person that walked up to me was devastated, she looked utterly lost. She sat down and before I could say anything she started talking: "I grew up believing that I had the power to make my father angry and to break my mother's heart. I thought that I was supposed to be perfect and that if I was not, I was causing the people I loved great pain. I grew up believing that something was wrong with me because I was human. I grew up believing that I had power over other people's feelings - and they had power over mine. I did the Courses; I read the books and thought it would get better. Nothing has changed, now Mark wants a divorce."

This is but a tiny example of the Power of Words. The way you live your life is directly linked to the way you think and your thoughts are directly linked to your beliefs. Therefore your life is the absolute manifestation of your thoughts, of your perceived understanding of everything you have heard from the moment of your conception.

Think about the words that have affected your life, the power of words, those words that "push your buttons", the words that send you "over the edge", the words that have caused you to be stuck in your limited life.

I personally refer to these words as OPO's (Other Peoples Opinions).

What shape is your life in ...

Depressing?
Unhappy?
No self confidence?
Full of anger and fear?

Are your relationships ...

Unfulfilling?
Abusive?
Non-existent?
Un-loving?

How is your health . . .

Are you overweight?
Are you ill all the time?

How are your finances . . .

No money?
Short every month?
Bad salary and you hate your job?

Maybe it is time to look at the OPO's (other peoples opinions) that you have bought into and see if you can find the reason, the pattern.

Exercise to change OPO's to MO's (my opinion)

Step one is to find the following:

Which words "push your buttons"?
Where do they come from?
Who do they come from?
What do these words mean to YOU and why?
Have you bought into other peoples opinions and beliefs?

The next step is to investigate a little bit further:

The negative beliefs you have about yourself and of which you remind yourself daily. Where did these beliefs come from? the negative statements about yourself which sprinkle your everyday conversation. Where do these statements come from and why do you keep on using them?
The self - insulting remarks that color your speech pattern and influences your behaviour or beliefs. Why the belief that you have to be self - insulting? Who sold you this idea?
Was any negative descriptions given to you by members of your family or peer group when you were younger onto which you hold even to this day?
Are you getting any negative feedback from your spouse, boss, teacher, colleagues, children, parents, relatives, or others that you take personally and incorporate into your personal belief system?
Why do you have all the negative self-images of your body? (Looks, weight, colouring, or any other parts of your body) Where do these negative self - images come from? How do they influence your presentation of yourself to others?
Are there any negative stories about your past behaviour, failures, or performances that you systematically run over in your mind and which still influence your current performance and behaviour?
What negative predictions have others made about you, your future, your success, your relationships, your family, or your health; that haunt you everyday as you face your daily struggle to "win'' in life?

You are now ready to rid yourself of the stink of OPO'S (other peoples opinions).

Carry a pen and piece of paper with you all day.
Each time you have a negative thought, an OPO of any kind, put a mark on the piece of paper.
At the end of the day, total up your negative marks and journal them down.
Tear the paper into the same amount of pieces as you have marks on it, for example if you have 20 marks on your paper then tear it into 20 pieces.
Before you go to bed, either burn the pieces or throw them out in the trash.
Do this for as long as you have to.

You have now faced these OPO's (other peoples opinions) head on.

You can now change them to what works for you to your MO (my opinion).

Power Words

"There is nothing but love, anything else is an illusion"

"There is no security in life, only opportunities"

"Focus on what you want, not on what you fear"

"The greatest power a person possesses, is the power to choose"

"Success is the child of Audacity"

"Change is a door that can only be opened from the inside"

"Life is not about finding yourself, life is about creating yourself"

"Create your future from your future not your past"

"It's not where you come from that's important; it's where you are going"