Think about this. Words are the basic building blocks of language. We use them to build sentences and paragraphs and ideas and to make conversation. Language allows us to structure and understand our thoughts and feelings and communicate intelligibly with others. We can become more positive with the words we choose in our writing and everyday conversations reveal a lot about our attitudes and thought patterns.
Two people can express the same thought using different words, and those two identical thoughts will take on wildly different connotations. Consider the following two sentences: You don’t know how to ride a bike. You can learn how to ride a bike. Both sentences convey the same information regarding whether “you” know how to ride a bike, but each sentence reveals a different attitude.
If a child asks to ride a bike, a parent can respond with either of these remarks. Each one will have a different impact on the child. The words we choose when we express ourselves reveal our attitudes and affect the people around us. We can use our words to keep people down or choose our words to lift people up.
Fostering Positive Thinking Through Language
We can make great strides toward living a more positive life by learning to frame our thoughts and ideas more favorably. By using language with positive connotations and selecting words that are affirmative in nature, we can look at the world through an optimistic lens.
When we speak with others, words come pouring out our mouths. This is especially true when we engage in casual conversations with friends and family. We’re so busy with the back-and-forth chatter that we rarely stop to think about how we can frame our remarks in a positive manner.
To cultivate positive language, we need to think before we speak and censor ourselves, edit our written communications more carefully, and commit to being more conscious (and conscientious) about the words we use.
Just like we spend time on physical health, positivity and mental health are just as important.
How To Become More Positive By Practicing A More Upbeat Vocabulary
We can change our attitudes and opinions by consciously reconsidering and altering the thoughts we voice. Changing our thoughts is a matter of choice. Sometimes, negativity and pessimism are easier because we don’t have to work too hard to convince ourselves that such negative thought patterns are authentic. But if you are willing to explore possibilities for yourself, you can change your mind about being positive. Below are some practices you can adopt to cultivate positive language, positive thinking, and a positive lifestyle.
Practice positive language through creative writing
You can spend five minutes a day writing about anything (you can even make stuff up). Then, go through what you’ve written and look for negative words: can’t, don’t, shouldn’t, won’t, and no.
Rewrite sentences that contain negative words and reframe them in a more positive context (like the bike sentences above).
Monitor your speech
If you catch yourself using negative words and phrases, stop yourself, even mid-sentence, and reframe your statements in positive terms. If you keep stopping in the middle of your sentences, people will eventually ask why you’re doing that. Let them know.
Explain to your family and friends you are working on developing a more positive outlook, starting with the way you speak. You’ll be surprised to discover how many people in your circle will be intrigued and may express interest in joining you.
Review what you write
Writing is actually one of the simplest places to start building this positive vocabulary because you can edit your communications before sending.
Take a minute to review your emails, text messages, blog posts, and social media updates and see if you can reword negative statements and phrases to make them more positive.
Monitor the speech of others
Correcting people or converting their vocabulary from negative to positive is impolite, but you can certainly learn a lot by listening. As you listen, try to identify negative speech patterns and think about how negative language can cause any message to have a negative undercurrent.
Don’t try to eliminate negative words from your vocabulary
While working positive language into your thinking, speaking, and writing is healthy, avoiding or ignoring the negative can be a form of denial. For example, “Drive sober” just doesn’t have the same impact or sense of urgent importance that “Don’t drive drunk” has (and needs to have).
Think before you speak
It sounds easy, but it’s rather challenging to put into practice. It’s perfectly acceptable to pause when it’s your turn in a conversation and give yourself a moment to organize, prepare, and present your thoughts in a positive way.
With a little practice, we can use our words to turn a negative into a positive. Learn how to choose words thoughtfully; eventually, your thoughts and behaviors will become as positive as your language.
Final Thought on How to Become More Positive
As you can see from the list, we tried to think of various situations that encouraged positive thinking and writing. If done correctly, these steps will also work to build up your self-esteem with positive thoughts and words. The best way to use this is to look at each sentence and find ways to apply it to your own life: how can you incorporate these words into your everyday conversations? How can you alter your thinking to start being more positive? Even if it’s a small change, every little bit helps. These statements may seem simple, but that doesn’t mean they are unimportant. Small steps often build into significant changes.
