Mary Beth Wilkas Janke PsyD

The Power of Positive Speech

Part 1: change your speech, change your mindset. it's so simple..

Posted October 8, 2020 | Reviewed by Lybi Ma

With everything going on in our country right now, I have decided to share a series on “Positive Speech.” People need more positivity right now. There is a slew of words people use in their everyday lives that are dis -empowering. My goal, with this series, is to get you to shift toward empowering speech.

One of my favorite quotes is by Henry Ford: Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right . Repeat the saying to yourself and think about it for a minute. If you “believe you can,” you are optimistically looking at something, whatever it may be in that moment and, by simply saying “you can,” you will shift an “impossibility” to a possibility. However, if you “believe you can’t,” then, sadly, you just closed the door to the possibility of being able to or, at the very least, you have put up a formidable barrier to being able to accomplish whatever it is you are saying “you can’t” do. Either way, you are right. It’s that simple.

I have shared Henry Ford’s sage words with students on the firearms range, during therapy sessions, and with colleagues and friends when they have all been experiencing doubt. I tell them that by saying you “can’t” do something, you are already doubting yourself, throwing up the white flag, closing the door, and locking it. Why would you do this? Ugh. I get frustrated sometimes about this. It’s not that you can't . Even if you really and truly “can’t” do something (e.g. fly an AH-64 Apache Helicopter), there is always a different and more positive way to express that.

Confession. I have a visceral reaction when I hear someone utter, “I can’t” in any context. It literally makes me cringe or, more often, I close my eyes, shake my head, and or scrunch up my face. The word can’t is ugly, it’s disempowering, it’s defeating, and it’s not part of my vocabulary—at least, not since I recognized how negative it is.

And, it’s not just in situations when people are doubting themselves. People use “can’t” in response to everyday questions, such as:

  • Hey, do you want to hang out Friday night? No, I can’t.
  • Would you mind taking me to the airport tomorrow? Sorry, I can’t.
  • Can you float me some cash until my next paycheck? Um, I can’t.

It’s not that you can't ; you actually can do all of those things. However, instead of being honest, you choose the icky “I can’t” as your default answer. There are so many ways these questions can be answered in a more positive and/or honest way:

  • Hey, do you want to hang out Friday night? No thanks. I have other plans. Maybe another night.
  • Would you mind taking me to the airport tomorrow? I’m working tomorrow. If you change your ticket, or there’s a delay, I could leave work as early as 4 PM.
  • Can you float me some cash until my next paycheck? Oh gosh, I am short on cash this month and don’t want to stress myself out.

There is another perspective as well. Maybe you are just not up for the task or you are not willing to do the thing(s) being asked of you. It’s better to be honest about whatever is being asked vs. saying, “I can’t”.

  • Hey, do you want to hang out Friday night? I am just not up for hanging out this weekend. Maybe another day/week (this is an honest answer).
  • Would you mind taking me to the airport tomorrow? I am slammed at work and me leaving to do something personal is too stressful right now (this is essentially saying you don’t want to do this in an honest way that 100 percent supports your answer).
  • Can you float me some cash until my next paycheck? I have a personal rule of not lending money to friends (here, you are saying you aren’t willing to lend this person money. By sharing your “personal rule,” although maybe a bit awkward, you lay a foundation. That person will, hopefully, never ask to borrow money again).

Responding honestly, in a positive way, is not just empowering, it is freeing. Okay, so it might be uncomfortable at first for some of you but I promise it gets easier and it feels great.

The moral: Words reinforce your thinking. Positive thinking is reinforced by positive speech and vice versa. Your words create your destiny.

Today, remove the word “ can't ” from your speech. I am confident you can do this. Let me know how it goes.

Mary Beth Wilkas Janke PsyD

Mary Beth Wilkas Janke, PsyD , is a former United States Secret Service Agent and currently teaches at George Washington University.

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positive thinking speech

The Power of Positive Thinking

Essay on Positive Thinking

Positive thinking refers to a belief or mental attitude which makes us think that good things will happen eventually and our efforts will pay off sooner or later. It is the opposite of negative thinking which makes our mind full of stress and fear. Thus, an essay on positive thinking will show us how it reinforces thoughts like optimism and hope and works wonders.

essay on positive thinking

Benefits of Positive Thinking

Let it be clear that positive thinking does not mean you do not notice the bad things in life. It means you try to find a solution in a productive way instead of whining about it. There are many benefits of positive thinking.

The first one is better health. Negative thinking gives rise to anxiety, stress, frustration and more. However, positive thinking helps you avoid all this and focus on staying healthy and doing better in life.

Further, it is essential for us to fight depression which positive thinking helps with. Similarly, it will also help us to relieve stress. Positive thinking overwhelms stress and it will allow you to get rid of stress.

As a result, positive thinking helps you live longer. It is because you will be free from diseases that form due to stress, anxiety and more. Moreover, it is also the key to success. Meaning to say, success becomes easier when you don’t bash yourself up.

Similarly, it also gives us more confidence. It boosts our self-esteem and helps in becoming more confident and self-assured. Therefore, we must certainly adopt positive thinking to make the most of our lives.

How to Build a Positive Thinking

There are many ways through which we can build positive thinking. To begin with, we must inculcate the habit of reading motivational and inspiring stories of people who are successful.

All this will help in motivating and inspiring you and showing you the right path. Moreover, it is important to never let negative thoughts thrive in your mind and work towards putting end to this habit.

You can do so by replacing your negative thoughts with constructive and positive reviews. Start to pay attention to your ideas and don’t pay heed to negative thoughts. Further, it is helpful to use affirmations.

These positive statements will truly sink into your subconscious mind and guide you to take better action. It will also help in visualising your dreams and getting the right means to achieve them fast.

Finally, always stay guard and gatekeep your mind to make important changes in life. In other words, do not be afraid to take actions. Keep yourself busy and do different things to avoid becoming cynical and remaining positive.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

Conclusion of the Essay on Positive Thinking

To conclude, we must change our attitude and believe that we will succeed one day. Moreover, we also need to implement positive thinking techniques which will help us learn from our failures and stay focused. As positive thinking plays an essential role in our lives, we must make sure to adopt in our lives.

FAQ of Essay on Positive Thinking

Question 1: What is positive thinking?

Answer 1: Positive thinking is basically an optimistic attitude. In other words, it is the practice of focusing on the good in any given situation. This kind of thinking can have a big impact on your physical and mental health .

Question 2: Why is positive thinking important?

Answer 2: Positive thinking is important as it helps us with stress management and can even improve our health. Moreover, some studies show that personality traits like optimism can affect many areas of our health and well-being. Thus, positive thinking comes with optimism

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COMMENTS

  1. The Power of Positive Speech

    Positive thinking is reinforced by positive speech and vice versa. Your words create your destiny. Your words create your destiny. Today, remove the word “ can't ” from your speech.

  2. Mia Xu: The Power of Positive Thinking

    Being positive will help you find the light from the dark. You can't know the future, however, staying positive and working hard can make the future more predictable! Covid has had lots of impacts on our daily life including my first swim meet. Ten or twenty years later, when the pandemic has faded, I hope you will be reminded of it by my speech.

  3. Essay On Positive Thinking in English for Students

    An essay on positive thinking explains what it is, its benefits, and how to build it. It also provides a table of content, a conclusion, and some FAQs on the topic. The essay is written in English for students and covers topics such as health, success, and optimism.