You cannot exceed your own expectations & you set your expectations with your thoughts & words.
If you aren’t careful, your own thoughts & words could be what’s holding you back from achieving your goals.
Want to know what words to stop using? There are many of them, and the first one is “but”.
This is a project I’m working on for myself, eliminating the word “but” from my vocabulary, I think you should try it too.
First, in addition to not saying or thinking “but”, I want you to replace it with the word “and”.
Let me give you a few examples of how you might use the word “but”.
“I shouldn’t have eaten that but I did it anyway”
“I don’t need seconds but I’ll just have a little”
“I don’t want to workout but I’ll get in a little something”
“I want to be positive but this is so hard”
“But” is a word you use to justify the gap between what you should do and what you actually do.
Sometimes that works in your favor, most times it doesn’t, and all times, the word is unnecessary.
“But” is a justification word, an excuse word or a deferring-personal-responsibility-or-ownership word.
I am NOT telling you to change your decisions. I actually don’t want that.
I want you to retrain the way you state things.
“I shouldn’t eat this AND I’m choosing to because I want it”.
Ownership. No excuses or justification.
“I don’t want to workout AND I’m doing it anyway”
“I said I wouldn’t drink tonight AND I’m going to savor every sip of this wine”
“I shouldn’t have spoke to you the way I did AND I was hurt by what you did.”
No more “but”.
Ownership. And. Awareness.
The way you think matters.
They way you create verbal or mental distance between your intentions and your actions MATTERS.
Begin today. Catch yourself when you use the word “but” and replace it with the word “and”.
It’s a powerful change if you choose to make it.