The 5 Words That Are Ruining Your Life
by Sopan Greene, M.A.

How would you like to stop feeling like your life isn't good enough? (I realize advertisers would go broke if this happened, but it's better for you!) Imagine feeling joyful, whole and complete when you look in the mirror at the end of the day.

What if I showed you how you're consciously creating circumstances and beliefs everyday that give you results you aren't happy with? Would you like to change it?

It's much simpler than you think. It all begins with the words you choose to use. By changing what you do and don't say, you'll start to create a much brighter future and more peaceful present right now. I'm going to reveal the 5 words to you that are bringing the most stress and frustration into your life. Over time using these words ruins your life by creating a ton of unnecessary mental suffering.

The 5 words I invite you to eliminate from your vocabulary right now are: want, need, can't, should and good enough (okay, these are two words but they're together so lets pretend they're one word for counting's sake. Thanks.).

If you just stopped using the word 'want' you would transform your life beyond belief. Do it for just one day. You're going to be amazed at how many times an hour you (and everyone else) says "I want...."

When you say "I want..." you instantly create a feeling of lack within yourself. In reality you aren't lacking anything, but when you want something you subconsciously believe that you have a hole that can only be filled by getting what you want. This is the source of a lot of addictions that cause people to consume too much food, sex, drugs, alcohol, entertainment or whatever their personality has a hankerin' for.

"Need" is an extreme version of 'want.' You don't need anything beyond food, water, shelter, clothing and love. Everything else is icing on the cake.

Along these lines it's helpful to remember that more than half of the worlds' population goes to bed hungry every night. So if you think you need a $3,000 HDTV, realize that you would like it but you don't 'need' it.

'Can't' is a limiting belief based on past experience. We all know the past doesn't determine how we create the present or the future, but a lot of us live like it's true. I invite you to re-examine what you think you can't do.

I grew up being told that I couldn't do mechanical things because my brother was labeled as the "mechanical one" and I was labeled as the "studious" one. In my twenties I finally challenged that belief because I had to in order to take care of myself. Guess what? When I challenged that theory I discovered I could do a lot of things I never tried because I was always told I wouldn't be able to do them.

Remember that you can be or do anything you commit to being or doing. Some things will come more naturally to yoiu than others, but you have the power to always be and do your best.

You've probably heard the phrase "Stop shoulding all over yourself." 'Should' is a word we use to exert power over ourselves and others through guilt. The funny thing is that we tell ourselves what we 'should' do even more than we do it to other people.

If you catch yourself before you 'should' on yourself you'll see that the 'should' that feels so important is just another belief that you can choose to change.

Our minds can be our worst enemies. Our minds are constantly making up stuff about whats good/bad, right/wrong, important/irrelevant, etc. We are run by these beliefs, many of which are arbitrary and constantly changing.

Think about an issue that tends to worry you over and over. Why is this worry imprisoning you by creating a ton of stress when a lot of other people aren't even aware of it?

We all pick different issues and beat ourselves up about getting these issues done, getting them right, takig care of them etc. They only feel important to us because our minds made up that they're important issues. At the same time we're totally unaware of other issues that other people are constantly worrying about. It's silly and it also causes heart attacks.

The most problematic two words ever put together are 'good enough.' What exactly is good enough? Nothing is. Is doesn't exist. It's a subjective choice that's like a carrot on a stick that is impossible to achieve. It moves farther away with every new accomplishment.

'Good enough' is an American complex. It may exist in other countries (though the Spanish language doesn't even have words to describe it), but in America it's in the air we breathe.

Most Americans feel like they're 'not good enough.' But if you ask them (or yourself), "What would be good enough?" they're dumbfounded. They don't have an answer as to what signifies achieving 'good enough.'

All they know is that they can find millions of other people who appear (key word) to have things they don't have. They think that if they had all these things, maybe they would be good enough ...until they see something else they don't have that they think they want, need, can't get or should have.

I invite you to choose one of these words a day to stop using. Catch yourself before the word leaves your lips. If the word gets out simply correct yourself with a powerful positive statement.

If you're about to say, "I want to go to the movies," then instead simply say "I would like to go to the movies." or "I choose to go to the movies." Now you're using words that create possibility and express responsibility. Doesn't it feel better when you speak like this? Yes, it does. It's because your speaking from a place of power.

It's your life. Choose to create it with words that reflect the responsible, powerful masterful spirit that you are.

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