Rule of the Mind #17 (the last one!) - Your mind does not care if what you say is good, bad, indifferent, true, false, healthy, unhealthy, right, or wrong it simply acts on your words regardless.
This is the final Rule of the Mind! If this is the first time you are reading about the rules of the mind, I encourage you to check out the other 16 under “Blog-ish”.
I chose this particular ROTM for the grand finale because if I had to pick a favourite, this is it. At the end of the “I want to live unapologetically, confidently, and free” day, it really all comes down to how we speak to ourselves. Our words carry weight. Our mind is very literal and will absorb and make true whatever you tell it.
Our mind also has a shitty sense of humour so that self-deprecating stuff, the things you say to get a cheap laugh or to make sure nobody thinks you are bragging (God forbid), it takes it ALL in. You probably don’t even notice this is happening, but your body does. Your mind is communicating with every cell in your body and your body is communicating with your mind. So, when you tear yourself down and say that you are crap with money, you have zero willpower with sweets, or that you could never do better than your current job or relationship, you are sending a clear message that your body responds to. You can see yourself grabbing your maxed out Visa, mainlining Halloween candy, and going to the same soul sucking job and coming home to the same horrible relationship day after day. Your body is simply acting on your words. Good, bad, or ugly.
One of my go-to books is The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. It is a simple book with a simple message that could literally transform our world if we could find a way to honour each agreement in our own lives. I’ll just share the first one with you here, which is the first by design, as Ruiz says it’s the most important one. “Be Impeccable with your Word. Speak with integrity. Say only what you mean. Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others. Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love."
Just imagine, if you decided to only speak to yourself in the direction of truth and love. How might your daily actions shift when being guided by a loving, truthful voice? How might your body respond when it doesn’t feel like it’s being attacked or shamed? Just Imagine.
I can’t help but imagine a world where we don’t accept hearing that kind of garbage from ourselves OR from those around us. The more aware we become of how we speak to ourselves, we can begin to take note of the words we are hearing from those we love. To choose not to play along when others are in that destructive space of self deprecation. This one choice, this commitment to “be impeccable with your word”, can be a true catalyst for transformational change. It is totally possible my friends!
Your words matter, you matter.