How You Can Start Changing Your Life Today

It was Jim Rohn who said, “We can no more afford to spend major time on minor things, than we can spend minor time on major things!” A major thing that is worth the effort is understanding and practicing leadership.

I think Anthony Robbins defined leadership best as being able to see things as they are but not worse than they are. This piece of advice can help you in every area of life.

Indeed, it is common to see inflated headlines in the news appealing to people’s worst fears. Finding an accurate source of information is often difficult.

But it is not just the media, pay attention to the language people around you use. “This is the worst day ever.” “I feel so sick I could die.”

So how do you use the principles of leadership even if you don’t conceive of yourself as a leader? The first step is to accurately see the world and your circumstances. Consider, for instance, the power of words.

If you say to your spouse, “You never listen,” you are setting up tension in the moment. Imagine the response you would receive if you instead said, “I feel that at this moment I don’t have your full attention, maybe we should talk later.”

Words matter because words give meaning to a situation, and once there is meaning there is an emotion attached. Leaders choose their words carefully when they communicate. And remember, you communicate with yourself the most, so be careful with what you say to yourself on a consistent basis.

Here is a simple example about language from a seminar with Anthony Robbins. When someone sets you up on a date and they tell you their friend is nice, what is your first response?

Now imagine your friend says they want you to meet someone but this time they change one word. You ask them to describe this person and instead of nice they say their friend is delicious. The difference in what we say changes everything.

So here is a place to start today, pay attention to the words you habitually use. Be sure to consciously choose words that illicit an empowering meaning. Also be sure to describe things as they really are, not worse than they are. The world has enough fear both real and imagined, what it needs are more authentic and empowering leaders.