Self-Talk - The Power of Language

I’D LIKE YOU to read the following quote from the amazing author and teacher Louise Hay:

"Every thought you think and every word you say is an affirmation for your future."

Language is a critical function - and we can learn a lot about ourselves by becoming conscious of how we use (and mis-use) it. With a little practice we can become conscious of how our language serves to empower us or dis-empower ourselves.

Spend a minute thinking about your words. Really think about them. If each of us spent one entire day noticing our thoughts and words, chances are we'd be a little concerned about the the present we're living in and the future we're creating. For most people, negative thinking and talking is a way of life. It doesn't have to be.

Each time we open our mouth to utter anything, we affirm who we are. We also affirm the nature of our relationship with others. We define our role in relationships, delineate specifics we don't even dream about. Sadly, much of what we do disempowers us as people - and limits our capacity to see ourselves as strong, independent and powerful.

We make affirmations about our relationships that confine us to what we have known in the past. Instead of referring to "Steve", we'll say, "My husband," or "My friend" - and the possessive we use is indicative of our need to control and maintain. We aren't even usually aware of it, as it's become so much a fixture of our language and culture.

"Wait until Daddy comes home..." is innocent enough if you're eight. If you're thirty, something else is going on in this relationship. When married couples refer to each other as "Mommy" and "Daddy", there are some interesting relationship dynamics going on behind the scenes or below the level of conscious awareness. Should you change it? Not necessarily, but it's helpful to become conscious of it. Are you really in a relationship with your Daddy? Could that be why things aren't really working for you - (in psychological terms it's called "projection") - or, perhaps, why things ARE working?


As you become more and more aware of the structure of your language, both the words you use to speak to others, and equally important, the words you use to speak to yourself, you begin to see evidence that your thoughts really do have power. Most important, the power to create change in your life. To move from towards a place of confidence, control and self-awareness.

You begin to develop an unbendable faith in the power of your thoughts to direct the course of your life. As a result, you no longer feel like a victim to outside forces. You remember who's in the driver's seat. That would be YOU.

Two years ago I stepped up my commitment to use affirmations by spending my mornings writing, reading, and imagining them coming to life. It's made an enormous difference in the quality of each day and I know it will for you, too.

There are a ton of affirmations you can use - in future blogs i'll explore some of these. For today, just consider this.

I am complete and whole - I don't need anyone or anything else to "complete me."

Just for today I'm going to be happy with me.