I Language, You Language

There are three main themes that run throughout my book, The Drunkard’s Path. I want people to think about these three themes while they are reading the book and working to create their future. They are: 1) you work for yourself and the future value you are creating for yourself, 2) approach life from a Selfish-Altruistic perspective to create win-win scenarios for a fun and balanced life, and 3) we do all of this in language, meaning that when used effectively and mindfully we create and co-create our world with the words we use. In this blog I want to cover this last theme, Language, in more detail. I will cover the other two in future blog posts.

At the beginning of chapter entitled Language is a Verb I quote – Desmond Tutu, a South African Anglican cleric and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist.  Tutu says, “Language is very powerful. Language does not just describe reality. Language creates the reality it describes.” Throughout my many years on this planet, I have encountered this idea in many forms and in many ways, including through formal education, reading books, and collecting quotations.  This practice of using language to create your own reality is often called visualization, creative visualization, positive affirmations, the power of positive thinking, and manifesting our own reality, among many other ways to describe the practice.  

I often refer to the book The Four Agreements, by Don Miguel Ruiz, which states: “Be Impeccable With Your Word. Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.” While he has much more to say about the power of “Your Word,” this one quotation speaks powerfully about the integrity of language and habitual action we need in order to create the world we long to inhabit. Similar to Tutu, he is essentially saying that we must use our language in a mindful way, because it is powerful and has the ability to help create the reality that is our life. 

Like Using Magic

In a way, using language is almost like using magic. You cannot really see it until it is pointed out to you. It is so obvious, it is invisible. Yet, it is the underlying cause agent of all that we as humans create. This includes giant projects like putting a man on the moon and personal projects that we engage in everyday life. Our world can only exist to us in and through the language we use. If we do not have a word for something, it does not exist for us. This does not mean that it lacks objective existence; it just means that we cannot truly know of it or how it might impact our lives. We need a word to bring it into our existence. 

The reason that you need to know this is so that you can understand what a powerful tool language is, especially for creating harmonious, effective organizations and work environments and for helping you to create your own life. What does this mean for you? You also have this ‘power.’ Like any talent that you have, you must practice it to become proficient. This practice starts with your thoughts. It helps to develop positive and affirming thoughts about yourself and the life you want to create.

The following quote has been hanging in my office for over 20 years:

 “Watch your thoughts, they become words; watch your actions, they become habits; watch your habits, they become character; watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.” – Frank Outlaw 

While the above quote is attributed to Frank Outlaw, Late President of the Bi-Lo Stores, the idea and inspiration for it is not new and dates back thousands of years and can be found in many ancient texts, including The Dhammapada, which is the best-known book in the Pali Buddhist canon. It contains a collection of Buddhist teachings in the form of aphorisms, and it was probably compiled in the third century B.C.E. 

“We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts.  With our thoughts we make the world.” – Buddha Dhammapada

“Our life is what our thoughts make it.”

One of the simplest and to the point quotes that state this idea clearly is this one by Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor and philosopher (121 – 180), “Our life is what our thoughts make it.” From our thoughts, we engage in conversations with our words. These conversations have the potential to turn into actions that serve to bring about the reality we all help to create in our everyday lives. We have a great power if we choose to learn how to use language effectively. Like anything in which we want to excel, we must practice until it becomes an embodied knowledge. And like anything we humans can do, some will be exceptional at this, and others will struggle.

I encourage all my employees to speak in positive ways that open future possibilities, to be mindful of the power that they wield with their own language and their own self-talk. How they speak, the promises they make, and the follow-through that they generate help to create their futures, build trust, and generate a story of integrity about themselves. That is powerful. I remind them that the opposite is also true (usually with humor).

Know that you have this power with language. Act and speak in a way that creates positivity for yourself and others around you. When you find yourself in difficult situations, reflect on the words you may have used that contributed to the situation in which you find yourself. Find words that will allow you to adjust the situation to a more positive one. Use your words to create the environment in which you choose to function.

We live in a world driven by thought and language. Those thoughts are based in our language. Our thoughts and words create our experiences, and so, we experience what we think. The quality of our thoughts creates the quality of our life.

To go even deeper, I encourage you to check out this link to the    
website Mind Your Reality. 

Barry Jessurun