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CONTROL YOUR SITUATION
by Bob Burg
In George Orwell's chilling classic, "1984," one way that "Big Brother" controlled the populace was by controlling their thoughts. A key method was by regulating the words they could use...via the language of "Doublespeak." Not only did certain words have opposite meanings, but also the amount of words available to use were reduced dramatically. This ensured that one could think only in limited ways because of the lack of words with which to express certain thoughts.
One theme that ran throughout the book was "Those who control the past, control the future. And those who control the present, control the past." Hint: it wasn't the
individual, but the government who controlled the present, the past and, ultimately, the future. (Suggestion from Bob: In today's times, especially as people seem more and more willing to trade in their liberty for security, this is a book everyone should read!).
So it brought back memories when I read in C. Leslie Charles' book, "Why is Everyone So Cranky" her quote, "The person who controls the language controls the situation." (The big difference here is that it's the *individual* who controls their own language as opposed to the government). Leslie's quote, of course, is very positive.
What she's saying is that, when monitoring yourself, you can take personal responsibility for your own attitude. For example, do you tend to use positive words (challenge, opportunity, yes) rather than negative ones (problem, obstacle, no)? Are you more likely to compliment than criticize people? She says that constant self-awareness helps you say the right thing at the right time and prevents you from saying something that might prompt crankiness in others.
In Dave Schloss' newest book, "If At First You Don't Succeed, Buy This Book!" he suggests that the thoughts we choose, either positive or negative, dictate our day. And,
he agrees that we get to choose our words, "which are just as powerful as our thoughts." He explains, "When asked 'How's it going?' the words 'Not bad' and 'pretty good' mean about the same thing. But 'Pretty good' is more positive and certainly plays better in your subconscious mind." Of course, "great" or "tremendous" even more so. :-)
Let's all try...no, not "try"...let's *do* this for the next week. Regardless of how you feel at the moment, choose your words and choose your thoughts, and see how you shape your attitude as well as the attitudes of those with whom you come in contact.
Bob Burg
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