I’m no master. I’m not perfect. I’m flawed. I’m a human being. But one thing I get right is I’m very calibrated about the words I use. Because like I say, the great leaders, how did they transform humanity? It was through their words. How did the great military generals get their armies to go out there on fire? It was through their words. Words can free nations and as we know from history, words from evil leaders have destroyed humanity, caused brutality. Words are that powerful. They not only affect your interior psychology and your identity, they have a profound impact on the world around you. So I don’t call autumn fall. I don’t want to say we’re going to have a great fall because I don’t want to effect and influence my subconscious to say to my team, “Hey, we’re going to have a great fall.” Because they’re going to go, okay, got it. But subconsciously that’s suggesting a fall, a failure. So I say, “We’re going to have an awesome autumn. I can’t wait to execute our deliverables and our big five for the next three months.”When I communicate with my children, I’m so careful because one phrase spoken to a child could set upa wound and a limiting belief that destroys their potential over the course of a lifetime. Little kid is singing and you say, “Shut up, your voice is terrible.” That could set up a core belief and an emotional wound so that they never sing again. So calibrate your languaging so your words to yourself are world-class, and also the words you use to your team, to your customers, to your loved ones. So incredibly important. If you look at the 95% card-carrying members of the cult of mediocrity, they’re so sloppy with their languaging. “Don’t be silly. Punch yourself in the face. I hate that customer. This job is going to make me sick.” They repeat it over and over and then they wonder why they have an illness 10 or 15 years down the road.
