Watching my language

Language is such a big part of the way we identify ourselves and find our place amongst each other.

Language is also a big part of how we limit ourselves.

I have no attention span.
I wake up every night at 3 am.
I’m horrible at putting outfits together.
I could never be that organized.
I don’t have that kind of patience.

I’ve heard so many people proclaim themselves to be, or not be, something even though it’s what they seek. Rather than setting ourselves up to succeed, we actually put up roadblocks. Regardless of whether language originates from within us (our thoughts) or from outside us, the stuff we believe (our thoughts) creates our reality.

I’ve been spending a lot of time with words this past year, not only writing to you, but on my book as well. I keep bumping into words that rub me the wrong way.

Spending so much time distilling and articulating my ideas has made me more and more aware of how powerful our vocabulary is. Language uplifts us or disempowers us depending on the beliefs they trigger.

An example?

Bottom. A word we’re probably all uncomfortably familiar with. It’s a term used to describe a low point. Rock bottom. Bottom of the barrel. I get it. It’s not inaccurate. But I think the last thing you want to label yourself or your moment when you are feeling down is something that echoes the hollowness.

I have an alternative...
I call it a Dorothy moment.

I’ll explain.

Near the end of the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy finally meets the Wizard who she believes holds the answer to what she needs to know. But, even he can’t help her in the end. Dorothy hits her bottom. Now what?

Then Glinda (the Good Witch) shows up and tells Dorothy “You’ve always had the power, dear; you just had to learn it for yourself.”

Dorothy’s search for someone with the answer ends with a truth that has become my battle-cry: You get to rescue yourself.

You can fill in the blank as it relates to your life. Who held the answer for you? A man? A job? A degree? An address? A car? A family? A salary?

It’s a fragile place where our inner light feels like it just might be extinguished. But bottom is also the moment when we rise up. So why not choose a word to remind us of where we’re going instead of where we’ve been?

This post-struggle moment when hope is at its dimmest can be the very same moment when we reclaim our power. This moment of pivot is your Dorothy moment.

Sometimes we feel low because we haven’t learned how to support ourselves yet. Sometimes they happen even when we do. I don’t know that it’s possible to eliminate the lows. I’m not even sure that’s the point.

My mission is to continue to find ways to uplift and be lifted. Words are big part of how we save ourselves, not from feeling, but from suffering. So the next time you’re feeling low, I challenge you to initiate a Dorothy moment.

Bottoms are either thrust upon us or they can be chosen. The truth? Bottom can be any arbitrary moment. What if you chose today?

Today can be the last day you choose to accept less in your life. Today can be the first day you begin to believe you are enough. Let my 5 C’s be your pair of ruby red slippers. You’ve had the power all along. Where you go is up to you.

This week watch your language. Listen to the things you tell other people and to the things you tell yourself. When you catch yourself judging or labeling yourself, take a deep breath and release the old idea. Reframe your thought into your desire.

Ex: “I’m always rushing in the morning.” Pause. Reframe. “I’m working on bringing in more calm during my morning routine.” Or insert an action step! “I’m prepping the night before to help my morning routine feel more calm.”