Have you ever stopped to think about the sayings you’ve heard your entire life?
“Don’t get your hopes up.”
“Better safe than sorry.”
“Money doesn’t grow on trees.”
“You can’t have it all.”
“Don’t get too big for your boots.”
“Stick to what you know.”
“Be realistic.”
“Nothing comes easy.”
“No pain, no gain.”
“Life wasn’t meant to be easy.”
“Old habits die hard.”
“Don’t push your luck.”
“You made your bed, now lie in it.”
“Pride comes before a fall.”
“Better the devil you know.”
They’re so familiar that we rarely stop to question them. What are some others you can think of?
Where these sayings come from
We hear them from parents, grandparents, teachers, friends and the culture around us. Then we repeat them ourselves, often without consciously considering the assumptions they contain. Think about what you are actually telling yourself when you say these things, over and over again.
Your unconscious mind is always listening to the words you say, both to yourself and to others.
What NLP notices in everyday language
In NLP, we pay close attention to language because our words can reveal presuppositions, generalisations and beliefs about how the world works.
Look at that list again. There are messages about scarcity, struggle, risk, success, change, ambition and what we should or shouldn’t expect from life.
That doesn’t mean these sayings are inherently bad. Some sayings may contain useful wisdom in the right context. The question is how many unhelpful ones we’ve simply accepted because we’ve heard them our entire lives.
The language you use about yourself
And what about the language you use about yourself?
“I’m not good with money.”
“I’ve never been confident.”
“That’s the way I am.”
“I’m too old to start again.”
“I could never do that.”
When we repeat something often enough, it can stop sounding like an opinion and start sounding like a fact. This repetition builds neurological pathways in your brain.
This week, get curious about your language
So this week, become curious about your language. Listen for the things you say automatically, particularly about who you are, what you can do and what is possible for you.
One question to ask yourself today:
What sayings have I adopted that I need to remove? What could I say instead?
Want to learn more about the power of language and really work on yourself? Our 8-Day NLP Practitioner Training Retreat is where that work happens. Find out more here.
