If You Remove Two Words From The Vocabulary, Your Life Could Change

Language is a fundamental factor in the way we understand life and communicate with the world. Depending on how we use it, it will influence us in one way or another on an emotional and intellectual level. In fact, Bernard Rothn assures that by eliminating two words from our vocabulary, our life changes.

This makes sense if we notice that, without realizing it, we go to set phrases, without being aware of how they shape our way of thinking and seeing reality. Now, it is logical to think that if you change the way you refer to reality, your life could also change.

Bernard Roth is an engineering professor at Stanford University and also academic director of the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design. This intellectual wrote a book called The Achievement Habit . In it he mentions several of the linguistic formulas that lead to success or failure. Here we tell you the two most important ones.

Without the power of but , your life could change

The word but is an adversative conjunction. This means that it serves to oppose two ideas , either to qualify some statement, or to expand or confront it. If spoken from a psychological point of view, this word is frequently used to justify, postpone or prevent action.

Especially when used in phrases like “Yes, but,” it reveals a self-sabotaging intent. It is equivalent to what we commonly call “putting buts on things.” That is, create unnecessary or fictitious obstacles to take action.

What Professor Roth proposes is to eliminate the word but from the usual vocabulary. It suggests that your life could change if you do without it, as it forces you to change your perspective when using it. The bet is to substitute those buts for the conjunction and . In this way, instead of saying, for example, “I want to change partners, but I’m afraid of being alone,” you would say: “I want to change partners and I’m afraid of being alone.”

Now, how does your life change by changing the way you say things? Roth affirms that when using  but, you face two paths that are mutually exclusive: either you take one course or you take the other. On the other hand, if you use the conjunction and , you see both realities simultaneously. You don’t force yourself to choose. You contemplate the panorama in a way that does not force you to choose, but rather invites you to see things more objectively and not feel at a crossroads.

The change of I have for I want

Professor Roth’s second major recommendation is to change the expression “I have to do” to the expression “I want to do. ” When you say “I have to do”, you immediately find yourself in the obligation register. This in itself is very demotivating. It implies that you would want one thing, but you must do something else, even against your will. Using the have already puts you in an emotional shock.

Bernard Roth points out that if you do something, it’s never really because you have to. One way or another you have chosen to do it. So by removing the expression “I have to do” and replacing it with “I want to do,” you are simply admitting your responsibility for the life you lead. Let’s see it in some examples:

• Change “I have to finish this job by tomorrow because otherwise I would lose my job” to “I want to do this job tomorrow because it is a way to keep my job.”
• Change “I have to be tolerant with my partner, because if he could not get bored with me and leave me” to “I want to be tolerant with my partner because it is a way to enrich the relationship and be better”

• Change “I have to exercise because I’m getting awfully fat” to “I want to exercise to feel more comfortable with my body.”

Every time the I have is exchanged for the I want, it immediately becomes necessary to change the negative perspective for a more positive one. At the same time, a strong emotional charge is removed. That is why your life could change very positively by eliminating those words from your usual vocabulary. Why don’t you practice it for a month and evaluate the results?