Using These 5 Words Will Help You Feel More Successful
You have the knowledge, the work ethic, and the passion. Now, it's just a matter of getting other people on board, and to do that, you have to sound successful.
And most of us don't always do that part well. While there's a lot that goes into inspiring confidence, like the way you hold yourself when you speak and your overall presentation, some of the most important factors are, yes, the actual words that come out of your mouth. With that in mind, here are five words and phrases that can help you sound as successful as you know you are.
1. "Challenge"
Instead of thinking in terms of problems and solutions, think in terms of challenges. In particular, make sure you use the word "challenge" in conversation. "Problem" is a word with negative connotations. A problem feels like a big, hard thing that you're going to have to work really hard to overcome.
A challenge, on the other hand, is kind of fun. Solving a challenge is an adventure. It's stimulating. And speaking about challenges rather than about problems makes you sound successful because it makes you sound confident. You aren't overwhelmed. You aren't scared or worried. You're just gearing up to overcome a challenge.
2. "Assist"
"Help" is another word with negative connotations. Asking for help makes you seem weak rather than successful, like you can't do what you are supposed to do or what you would need to do in order to get a task done.
Instead, use the word "assist." Asking for assistance comes across as asking someone to walk with you rather than to do your job for you. For instance, when people ask for help carrying something, they usually want the helper to do it for them. When they ask for assistance, it sounds like they want someone to carry one end while they carry another.
Offering to assist, rather than to help, empowers the people around you, too. Sure, they can do their jobs, they just need an assist now and then. This inspires them to see you as successful because you are lifting them up, not knocking them down.
3. "I Don't"
When you want to say "no," use "I don't" instead of "I can't." Studies show that people who say "I don't" are more likely to stick to their decisions than people who use "I can't."
If you say that you can't do something, it sounds like you are subject to the whim of forces stronger than you. You sound weak, like you don't make decisions based on your own convictions and beliefs.
When you say that you don't do something, it immediately comes across as a deliberate choice. You could do something, but you don't, and you have chosen that way of being in the world.
4. "Done"
Use the word "done" in written and oral communications, and you will both sound and become more successful. When you let people know that you have finished a task or have already taken care of some objection they are raising, you show them that you are on top of your game and, therefore, successful.
"Done" also helps you feel good about the work you are doing. It is similar to checking something off a list, except that "done" is even more powerful for helping you feel like you have accomplished something. You are a mover and a shaker because you are someone who sees things through — who gets them done.
5. "Commit"
No one really cares about what you are hoping for, what you want to see happen, or what you wish for. Nope. When it comes to success, they care about what you are committed to.
Telling people where your commitments lie will help them trust you, but it will also help them see you as successful. When you know what you value and why, and how that plays out in whatever endeavor you're discussing, you sound confident and competent.
"Commit" is a powerful word, and it makes you sound trustworthy, thoughtful, and intentional, all of which are characteristics that lend themselves to success.
Are there words you try to use when you want to sound more successful? What are they and how have they worked for you?
Disclaimer: The links and mentions on this site may be affiliate links. But they do not affect the actual opinions and recommendations of the authors.
Wise Bread is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
