A recent series on TV had me revelling in the joy of language, and the impact it has on areas like goal achievement, self improvement, personal development, etc. The first episode concentrated on how we learn to speak, so that’s as good a starting point as any…
The show is called ‘Stephen Fry’s Planet Word’ on the BBC, and the presenter is well known in Britain for his enjoyment of playing with words.
In the first episode he covered the how and why of human speech, covering the basic facts of humans having specific equipment that allows us to speak – the vocal chord set up, the muscles allowing us to shape the words. It’s this anatomy that sets us apart from other species.
It’s thought that speech first developed a result of hunting, that humans needed to work together in groups to catch big enough prey, and that need evolved into speech.
Once we started to speak as a species, we were able to communicate stories about the past, and critically, make predictions about the future. We were able to talk about our plans, to share ideas.
This is a valid today as I write this, as it’s ever been. You can use words to absorb ideas from others, and then use words to change your own mindset. A different mindset produces different actions, and different actions produce different results.
As a young child, say around the age of two, we pick up maybe 10 words a day, and we do it without thinking about it, there is no over analysis going on. Picking up new words as an adult can have a massive impact, as it can produce fundamental changes in the way you view things.
It’s often said that ambition is educated out of us as we grow up, and then fear of failure sets in, and many life goals remain unfulfilled. Just imagine what can happen if you decide to re-educate yourself! You can use language and words to create belief, to reinvest in ambitions.
It won’t mean anything if you don’t follow up with action, but developing your language skill is a worthwhile action in itself. Not only will language give you a different mental foundation from which to take the action relevant to your goal, it will help with your progress by allowing you to make more contacts, better contacts, which in turn will create better opportunities.
I’m sure I will be writing again about this series, but I’ll finish for now with another thought from the episode, which was that when it comes to the study of the brain, we are still in the dark ages in the big scheme of things.
It’s such a complicated organ, that a lot of study is theory, and what is theory if not language? This means that while I can write about the value of language and the benefits of learning new words, the best person to actually tell you about your brain is…you!
Remember Henry Ford’s quote ‘Whether you think you can, or whether you think you can’t, you’re right.’
I think that really drives home my point – you can use language to change from thinking you can’t, to thinking you can. It can be done for free, you can do it yourself, and no-one can stop you!
If that isn’t a goal achievement nugget, I don’t know what is, so the next time you hear a word you don’t understand, look it up – you will be letting language loose and fuelling your goal achievement engine!
I’ve used these theories for over 25 years, and wrote about it my book. Grab your copy right now, and the risk is all on me, because if you don’t like it, you get your money back! Transform Your Life in 21 Days!
So True this post. In my experience there are penalties for climbing the ladder from some colleagues who would rather you remain the ‘you’ that they know and love. I think some people are better at dealing with this than others.
Very true Peter – anyone improving their language by increasingh their vocabulary will automatically leave some of their peer group behind. Although it can be uncomfortable at times, it’s a sign of forward movement.
My first time here. Nice blog and super post. Well done.