Eliminate the "N" words...
- No
- Never
- I do not
- I can not
- I will not
- Not, nyet, nah, nope!
- Netc, netc.. (just trying to be goofy :) I mean, etc, etc!)
When we think about all the "no's" and "dont's", we are thinking negative, instantly.
Just converting our thoughts and conversations to contain less of the N words, we bring in more of the P.
Lets try to convert some and see...
But I don't want to go out
I want to stay in and read my book
I never get to pursue my own hobbies!
I would like to spend more time with my hobbies than I am right now
I don't have time for that right now!
Let me check my schedule and see if I can fit that in
And so on...
With each of these examples, we are more or less saying the same thing, but it does not sound so bad. The red sentences sound like we are complaining, the green ones sound like we have a solution to whatever is being discussed. It sounds like we have a plan, a "good" plan.
If the red sentences are directly meant for someone, they will mostly, immediately get defensive. Instead of seeing what you want, they will think about what you do not want. So the focus of the entire conversation heads into the wrong direction.
So...be assertive, talk about what you DO want, about what you CAN do, about what you WILL do.
I would love it if you can give me some sentences with "N" words in it. I want to see how many of them I can turn into something positive :)
