Speak Positively, Part 2

Click here to read Speak Positively, Part 1

(Note: In this entry, I go back and forth between you and I. It's to show that we're all in this together.)

Why should we speak positively? Because positive words create positive actions. Consider when someone asks you to do something or vice versa. Which are you quicker to respond to: harsh words, demands, and criticism or requests made pleasantly? Most people respond more quickly to the latter.

Now, take that rationale and apply it to yourself. Are you more likely to carry out a desire, goal, or plan when you tell yourself that you can do it or when you tell yourself that you're a failure, a screw up, you can never get anything right, or whatever other negative thoughts come to mind? It may sound Pollyannish, but positive words generate positive reactions.

When I go around saying, "I can't do that because...", "I'm not capable of that because...", or whatever else comes to mind, it is highly unlikely that I will try to do whatever's before me. What causes me to say I can't do it? Am I afraid of failure? Am I afraid of success?

The fear of failure is reasonable. There aren't that many people that want to fail. Yet, failure is okay. (For more on this, read the entry "Failure Is An Option".) What about the fear of success? Do I simply not want the responsibility, do I think the success will change me as a person, will I be able to handle the responsibilities that come my way...Well, you won't know until you try.

Instead of saying, "I can't, " or, "I'm not able," speak positively. If you can't find positive examples from your life to draw from, tell yourself, "I may not be the best at what I'm going to do, but I'm going to do what I can and see where it takes me." Then you will learn that your negative thoughts were wrong, because whether you fail or succeed,

you did the very thing you told yourself you could not do.


"...for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh." (Luke 6:45 KJV)