The Words We Choose
It’s always day one.
--Jeff Bezos
This, to me, is an interesting expression.
Not only does it suggest that we always have a chance to begin or try again, it also points to the excitement (and sometimes nervousness) that we feel on first days, the fresh states and open eyes that we have on first days, and the unexpectedness of what might occur or what might become on those first days.
If every day is a first day, how might we approach each day?
How would YOU, or how do YOU, treat each day as the first day? Please answer in the comments below.
Few people, I think, would argue against the idea that words have power.
Words give shape to our thoughts. They speak to our emotions. They carry information, both inward and outward.
Words have the ability to lift us up and/or bring us down. They have the ability to change who we are. When we choose our words, we choose the shape of our thoughts. When we choose the shape of our thoughts, we choose the type of person that we want to be; we choose the kind of life that we want to live. When we make conscious decisions about the kinds of people we want to be and the kinds of lives we want to live, we begin to change ourselves; and by changing ourselves, we begin to change the world around us.
Just as one can work from the inside out to change his/her life, a person can also work from the outside in.
The way to work from the outside in is by making decisions about the information, the emotions, and the words that we allow to enter our subconscious being.
It's nice to think that we can put yesterday behind us and start fresh each and every day, at work and with our family and friends, but I wonder if it doesn't require that those other individuals all hold that same perspective.
That’s a good point. When Jeff Bezos spoke about using this as a motto to build his Amazon business around, he mentioned trying to create a culture and atmosphere that promotes an everyday is day one attitude. Accordingly, he conducts his board meetings in a specific way and leads in a specific way.
Other people I have heard on the subject have suggested that there are two outcomes for people who work hard to change themselves and their circumstances:
You pull other people along with you, which would mean that they change too and learn to let go of the past.
You grow apart from this people and either they leave you, or you leave them.
It is, indeed, difficult to let things go, move on, and begin again when your environment (and the people in it) don’t aide you in doing so.
I am in a line of work that uses words to influence people and situations... yes, it pays to choose your words carefully... It literally makes or breaks a situation.
What kind of free lance do you do? Are you involved in marketing?
I like that quote! Yes words can influence thoughts, and thoughts create action. We see the power of words throughout history!
It’s funny, a teacher I work with in Japan randomly brought me this quote the other day and I thought, How about that? That’s exactly what I’ve been reading up on lately. Why are you carrying this quote around?