One of the first things we all must realize in our quests to change our lives and build our dreams is that words are powerful. It is a simple idea, but we need no more proof than the incredibly persuasive media to know that the words we speak, read, and hear shape how we feel, who we are, and what we do. Kim speaks early on in the book about how important it is to change the way you talk about the things you want. She uses the example of Oscar, one of her beloved rescue dogs, who became so overweight that those in the family called him “Piggy.” When this finally began to bother Kim, she asked that everyone in the family stop calling Oscar by this nickname and they all began replacing this with positive affirmations when Oscar exhibitied healthy behaviors such as taking longer walks. It was proof enough for Kim that words matter when her dog began to lose weight and be more active that this shift in the family’s use of words manifested itself in positive changes. Of course it wasn’t just the affirmations but the shift in thinking for the family; their actions changed as Oscar was no longer the butt of jokes.
We often feel, as people and educators, that we have no control over so many things that plague us. We have total control of our words. Authentic positive affirmations can become the leading mode of communication in classrooms and schools if we want them to. Genuine, specific praise can lead any conversation if that’s how we design our learning experiences and environments. The thing is, the more genuine positivity and proactive behavior we exhibit, the more we will get in return. The Law of Attraction is such that when you exude the things you want in life, the more quickly they will come to you. On the other hand, the more negative energy we expend, the more negative things that tend to come our way. This isn’t easy to confront or to change, but it is in every human’s power to do so.
Start by asking students and colleagues to determine and discuss their own goals for various parts of their lives and write them down. A sample of six parts of life to consider when setting these goals is featured in the book and reproduced below. Then, open up the discussion to include barriers to reaching these goals. Determine what kinds of hurtful words, negative people, and unproductive rhetoric gets in the way currently. Last, decide what each person can do to change this rhetoric, to replace the negative with the positive. This is the first step to achieving goals and living your best life.
