Words are powerful, creative tools. Let me explain. Have you ever been around people who complain all the time? You know the ones. Nothing in life seems to make them happy. They complain about their house, job, kids, money, lack of money, spouse, health, and on and on. I call them Eeyores - you know, the little blue donkey with the permanent cloud over his head from "Winnie The Pooh." They love to complain. They LIVE to complain. Did you ever notice that they always seem to have something new to complain about? That's because their words are creative. By always complaining, they draw more things to complain about. And they love it. Knowingly or unknowingly, they love the drama. They love being the center of attention. They love people's sympathy. They love to tell their stories. And that's fine if that's the way you choose to live your life. No judgements.
Conversely, have you been around people who are happy all the time? Nothing seems to get them down. They smile and laugh easily. They light up the room when they walk in. Good things seem to happen for them. Their life is good.
How do you feel when you're around the Eeyores? I feel a heavy energy. I get tired. It's like they're energy vampires: they're sucking the life right out of me. I try not to be around them for any length of time. How do you feel when you're around happy people? I feel happy and energized. I want to be around them for as long as possible. I may have been exhausted, but then they come around and I could go on all night.
Now I'm going to let you in on a little secret. How you live your life is your choice. Every second of every day YOU can choose to be happy or miserable. It's up to you. You create your life with your thoughts, words and actions. You know the saying, "If life gives you lemons, make lemonade"? That's what I'm talking about. It doesn't necessarily mean that things won't happen to you. What's important is how you respond to those things... what your words, actions and attitudes are.
When I'm on the phone at work, in a checkout line at a store, or at the bank and someone robotically asks me, "How are you today?" I always respond with an enthusiastic "FABULOUS!" The reaction is incredible. First of all, in that moment I DO feel fabulous. I've emphatically stated it so I instantly feel it. But the fun thing is to watch other people's reactions. All of a sudden, they're out of their robotic, automatic existence. They're with me. They look at me and "see" me. They usually smile or laugh and we really connect on some level. We actually talk TO each other not AT each other and it's a nice feeling for both of us. And that all happened because of one powerful, creative word.
If you're one of those happy people, you probably don't want to change a thing. You're doing it right and are an example for the rest of us. But if you're an Eeyore and want to change -- or if you're somewhere in between (which most of us are) -- then start one word at a time. Be conscious of the words you use and how they make you and people around you feel. Believe me, it's a process. Don't be hard on yourself if you fall back into old habits. Just pick yourself up and try again... one powerful, creative word at a time.
Love, Paula
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