I have just finished reading my friend Randy Gage's book Why You're DUMB, SICK & BROKE and How to Get SMART, HEALTHY & RICH (I HIGHLY recommend it! [get it here]) and in it, he introduced the concept of "mind viruses". What Gage teaches us is that we get infected by mind viruses that limit our prosperity by the news media, Hollywood and our day to day contact with people (even people that love us). We are bombarded with negative imagery, words and toxicicty so fast, we are infected before we even know what happened.
Exposure to prosperity infection is not that different from exposure to communication infection. The quality of our lives and our relationships is a direct reflection of the way we talk to ourselves, the way we treat ourselves, and the way we beat up on ourselves. External infection exposure is something we can reduce but not completely remove unless you want to live on a deserted island, in a bubble, and sing the happy song every day. Internal infection exposure however, is something we have complete control of.
Most people really want great relationships at work, at home and in their friendships. But, if you are internalizing infection and owning the space, then just like the flu, you are guaranteed to spread the infection and give it to the people you love.
What do we do? What's the antitoxin?
1. Grow your language pallet. Language shapes experiences. Experiences shape the quality of our lives. Find other ways to say things and you will find other experiences manifesting. Start by changing your language. If you say someone is a "Jerk" then he is, if you say, "Maybe I don't have all the information" then your brain says, maybe you just don't have all the information and you'll approach the situation from a gentler, more open space.
2. Listen, Listen, Listen then Decide, Decide, Decide. Listen to what the media and other people are saying to you and around you and then Decide what it means for you. Is it useful or useless? The number one mistake people make is if they don't agree with what someone says, they either internalize it and manifest it, or they get defensive and argue about it. Either way, no one wins.
3. Treat yourself like someone you love. If you talked to other people the way you talked to you, would you be friends with you? Would you let someone act the way you are acting towards your child? Would you sit and let someone beat up on your spouse? NO? Then why would you treat yourself that way?
My area of expertise is communication and just like charity, communication begins at home. Start paying attention to your internal dialogue, the same nervous system that beat you up can be trained to build you and the people around you up, too.
Do you use any of these communication antitoxins in your daily workflow? Feel free to brag about your success in the comments!
Seanlai Cochrane works with leaders who want to play like a PRO and keep their talent, grow profits, and power by the competition.
Want to hire Seanlai to speak at your next event? Call her at 405-314-8716 fax 405-471.5646,
email: seanlaic@gmail.com
Connect with Seanlai on Linkedin or twitter @seanlaic
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