Don’t worry, I’m not giving you a lecture on the evils of a foul mouth. What I mean by watching your language is to become aware that the words you choose to express yourself with, and the things you choose to talk about, play an important role in the overall quality of your life.
I once asked two teenage brothers to try the following experiment, just for fun. I asked them to try to go an entire day without swearing, criticizing, or any talk of anything having to do with violence, sex, or greed.
The first time they tried it, they couldn’t do it! They told me that within an hour they had failed the test several times. I reminded them that in this experiment there is no such thing as failure. In fact, it was great that they couldn’t do it because it showed them just how much of what they said was geared toward things that did not necessarily promote happiness.
They went back for round two and did much better than before. In fact, what they learned was so eye-opening to them that I decided to ask you to do the same thing. I asked them to think back on that day and tell me what they remembered most. What stood out for each of them was that their spirits were much higher than usual—they were happier.
It’s interesting to try this experiment and to observe that, when you do so, it’s very difficult to have a bad day. The reason is that your word choices are very closely related to what you are thinking about and focused upon. So the act of watching your language gears your attention on other topics and aspects of life.
If you think about it, the reverse would also be true. Imagine (but don’t try this) if the exercise was to go an entire day in which you were only allowed to swear, criticize others, and discuss violence, sex, or greed. Imagine how you would feel. It would be virtually impossible to have a good day!
What this exercise tends to do, beyond the initial experiment, is to get you thinking about the power of your own words. What tends to happen is that people become a little more careful of what they talk about. They start to equate peaceful feelings with peaceful speech.
The idea isn’t to be perfect or to never, ever discuss anything negative or having to do with sex, violence, or greed. That would be putting your head in the sand. Instead, simply experiment with paying closer attention to what you say and talk about—watch your language a little more carefully.