Try this out next time you’re speaking about yourself, either to somebody else or to yourself.
Avoid using the “be” verb.
This is like a verbal equals sign.
Like when you say, “I am happy,” you’re telling yourself that your entire being, your history, your beliefs, your experiences, “equals” the adjective, “happy.”
Not so bad, but what happens when you say, “I am angry,” or “I am confused.”
Sure, your conscious mind knows that you’re just expressing how you’re feeling at the moment, but what if there is some part of you that is like a child, and accepts everything you say as absolutely true?
That part of you would get pretty confused.
Instead, try using “action verbs.” Instead of saying “I am angry,” say something like “I feel confused right now.”
Or instead of saying “I am a [insert job here],” say something like “Right now I get paid to [insert job description].”
This can make you feel a lot less “stuck,” and feel a lot more “open” about your potential future.
Also, when you use language that doesn’t presuppose any permanence about your current situation, it presupposes the opposite: That you can always do better.
After all, who are you, really? Are you the same person now as when you started reading this?
Are you the same person today as you were one year ago? Will you be the same person a year from now?
Try these ideas on for size, and see how they fit.
Till next time,
George Hutton