Language helps us make our wishes come true because it has the power to change things. It pushes us to action and allows us to clarify who we are, what we want and what our limits are.
Written and verified by the psychologist GetPersonalGrowth.
Last update: 15 November 2021
Language helps us make things happen, and that's because it has great power. Thanks to this resource, we are not only able to describe different realities, but we generate them. Because the word is never neutral, it leaves a mark and pushes us to action.
Furthermore, our voice creates bonds or establishes distances, makes concepts clear and helps our identity to take shape. Ludwig Wittgenstein, a well-known philosopher, mathematician and linguist used to say that the limits of the world are defined by our language.
At first glance, this expression is rather disturbing and hides a curious testimony. Our reality is perceived and described by the words we use in everyday life.
Language helps us to define
For example, we call children who have lost their parents as orphans. We call widowers or widowers anyone who has lost their spouse. However, most of the languages he has not yet given a name to those parents who lose their children and the same goes for someone who has suffered the loss of a brother.
Consequently, there is a void in our reality; there are invisible figures and sufferings that do not have a name, but which are nevertheless present in everyday reality everywhere in the world.
Beyond that, we all experience emotions that don't yet have a name. We experience sensations, anxieties and pleasures that do not always have a place among the words in a dictionary.
We contemplate features in nature and in daily life that our mind cannot express through language, but which nevertheless exist. For this reason we sometimes wonder with some amazement if someone else has ever felt the same way, if it is legitimate to experience this suffering that is not described in the books, which is not defined by a label or a genre or a time. verbal.
The revolutionary is whoever succeeds in revolutionizing himself.
-Ludwig Wittgenstein-
Language helps us make things happen: steps to take
Language helps us make things happen. In order for this to happen, however, it is necessary to carry out certain gestures, to implement certain strategies that will be promoters of changes and of more fulfilling and happy realities.
We already know that what we don't give a name to seems not to exist or to remain in an uncertain space, where a person ends up struggling with his or her problems.
Linguists claim that language does not determine thought. That is to say that, as we said, many sensations and experiences have not yet been translated into words. Psychological analysis, however, allows us to affirm that language prompts action, provided that some measures are taken.
First measure: our language speaks of us, pay attention to how we speak
Paul Anwandter, a well-known author of several books on coaching and expert in neurolinguistic programming, tells us that humans create themselves through language. We are what we tell about ourselves, we are what we will do, the way we describe ourselves and how we communicate with others. We are also what we choose to remain silent and to let people know.
We are therefore offered an opportunity: that of transforming ourselves through language. In order for this to happen, we can take into account the following dimensions:
- We must speak to ourselves with a positive and respectful attitude. The study conducted at the University of Texas by Dr. Kristin Nef tells us that loving communication with ourselves allows us to take care of our identity and self-esteem.
- Communication with others must also be respectful; moreover, what we give to others also has an impact on us. A bad word has an emotional price everywhere.
- If we want to generate a change in us, our language will have to be in tune with this goal. Let's avoid the "I can't, this is not for me, for sure I will fail, others will do it better than me, etc."
Second measure: language transforms, you create your reality
Language helps us to act because it is able to transform events. It generates possibilities, makes us more firm in our positions and motivates us to persist. To better understand this concept, we will give some examples:
- Language is action because it determines thought: tomorrow I will sign up for that contest, tomorrow I will call that person to ask for an appointment, today I will tell my boss that I will no longer allow him to behave in that way ... These phrases define us and in many cases entice us to achieve these goals.
- Language creates possibilities: if you say "no" to someone, you are closing a door in your life. If you say "yes" to a project, you are opening new doors.
Third measure: trust and action
If we want to initiate a change, if we aspire to feel better, to solve a problem or to reach a goal, we need an inner compass. A compass pointing north, where trust and action are found. Because if we don't commit ourselves to ourselves, with constancy and perseverance, there will be no movement.
Language helps us to act only if we are courageous. We must be willing to demand what we want without fear, to clarify what we do not want, to persevere in the face of difficulties, inciting ourselves through meaningful words.
Finally, we must never hesitate to name what we feel and want. Language is our best action tool. We need to use it to build better relationships, solve problems, and always be consistent with our thoughts and actions.
