How does language shape your experience?
The language you use to define your experiences is and will be how you remember your experience, and you create expectations based on your previous experiences.
While you navigate your surroundings physically, it’s the language or, more specifically, the words you use that define your interactions. This also applies to your interactions with the people you interact with.
The words that come out of your mouth, or even more important, the words you say to yourself shape not only your current reality but also your future expectations. And the constant narration in your head directly influences how you feel about yourself and other people.
The language you use literally shapes your thinking. How you describe people, places and situations will be how you experience them.
Think about this for a moment. Your brain exists in a dark box, and while your senses feed it information, your brain can only understand the sensations once they are interpreted via language.
So why am I harping on about language and experiences?
Good question.
Because, if you believe or if I’ve managed to convince you that language is what shapes your experience, then you now have the power to shape your experiences.
When you find yourself in situations, whether you’re interacting with the physical world or with people, you have the ability, through the language you use, to change your perception of the situation.
Now I’m not suggesting you ever jeopardize your well-being by ignoring potentially harmful threats, but as long as you’re in a relatively safe and secure environment, you can tweak your perception of reality on command.
So, the next time you find yourself narrating an experience with a person or situation, think about the language you’re using. And realize that you have the power to change how you experience and ultimately feel about the situation and or the person by changing the language you use to describe it.
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