Summary: Taking a breath to think about what kind of message you're projecting to the world around you is important every day. This post shares some concrete steps you can take to make sure you're speaking your truth with respect—today.
If you checked out the banned words list I linked you to Monday, you know that many people (not you or me, of course—*ahem*) can go far overboard with the overuse of certain words or phrases. Some have done it in the press to the point that one university, at least, has decided to tell them, "No more! We don't want to hear these words or phrases in 2010."
I get a customized horoscope in my e-mail in-box every morning. And today, I basically got the same admonishment from the universe (if you believe in that sort of thing): Today, I'm a little moody, and the planetary advice I read is to stop and really think before I open my big mouth.
Whether it's relying on the same old sentences or not checking your tone of voice, the way you communicate with others deserves a pause for self-awareness—today and every day of this year and every remaining year of your life. How do you accomplish this? Here are some mental actions you can take:
(1) Pay attention to how you feel physically in your body as you speak. Each emotion is connected to a specific area of the body (anger results in clenched fists and jaws, for example, while anxiety equals stomach complaints).
(2) Try to connect the physical sensation with the emotion you're feeling—and likely displaying. It takes time to become emotionally aware, so don't get too down on yourself if this takes a lot of practice. If you need help distinguishing feelings from thoughts and properly naming them, use this list as a jumping-off point. You can also contact me via my website for a more thorough list that I've created for my clients.
(3) Find a daily practice that helps to spiritually connect you to this consciousness. Whether it's meditation, prayer, affirmations or journaling, you can use any process that helps to take you outside of your usual perspective, so that you can see yourself more objectively and really listen to the way you speak your truth to others.
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2010
Showing posts with label Banished Words. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Banished Words. Show all posts
Jan 6, 2010
Jan 4, 2010
WORD OF THE WEEK: Words of the Year (or Don't Admonish My Tweets)
Summary: Experts are releasing their lists of top words of the year—those most looked-up in online dictionaries, most searched on the internet, and most overused in society. ... Let's not admonish them for their findings 'til we've read their results!
Last year (also known as last week), Merriam-Webster.com released its list of most looked-up words. Top of the list of 10 was admonish. Why? According to the site's Editor-at-Large, Peter A. Sokolowski:
"Admonish shot to the top of the list three days after Rep. Joe Wilson's outburst during a speech made by President Obama ... when the House announced plans to admonish Rep. Wilson .... While this particular story wasn't very important in the context of a year's worth of news," Sokolowski said, "it triggered enormous interest in this word."
To admonish (AD - MON - ish) another is to express warning or disapproval, especially in a gentle, earnest or solicitous manner (again, according to Merriam-Webster.com). This verb entered the English language sometime in the 14th century from the Latin admonere, meaning to warn. A good example sentence is, "After their business luncheon, her boss admonished her for contradicting their client over the amount of the waitstaff's tip."
Other sites chose their words-of-the-year picks—for both cheers and jeers: Discovery News selected Twitter as its most-searched word (according to Microsoft) back in November, before the year's end, while Lake Superior State University admonished popular culture with its annual "Banished Words" list. (Included for the entrance to 2010 were all things e-networking, like tweet and unfriend.)
Follow the links above for a real education in modern word usage in 2010! And if you want to truly show off, share with me just how many of these listed words you can put together in one sentence. I dare you ....
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2010
Last year (also known as last week), Merriam-Webster.com released its list of most looked-up words. Top of the list of 10 was admonish. Why? According to the site's Editor-at-Large, Peter A. Sokolowski:
"Admonish shot to the top of the list three days after Rep. Joe Wilson's outburst during a speech made by President Obama ... when the House announced plans to admonish Rep. Wilson .... While this particular story wasn't very important in the context of a year's worth of news," Sokolowski said, "it triggered enormous interest in this word."
To admonish (AD - MON - ish) another is to express warning or disapproval, especially in a gentle, earnest or solicitous manner (again, according to Merriam-Webster.com). This verb entered the English language sometime in the 14th century from the Latin admonere, meaning to warn. A good example sentence is, "After their business luncheon, her boss admonished her for contradicting their client over the amount of the waitstaff's tip."
Other sites chose their words-of-the-year picks—for both cheers and jeers: Discovery News selected Twitter as its most-searched word (according to Microsoft) back in November, before the year's end, while Lake Superior State University admonished popular culture with its annual "Banished Words" list. (Included for the entrance to 2010 were all things e-networking, like tweet and unfriend.)
Follow the links above for a real education in modern word usage in 2010! And if you want to truly show off, share with me just how many of these listed words you can put together in one sentence. I dare you ....
© KiKi Productions, Inc. 2010
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