It's Not Just Words: 10 Smart Word Choices of Smart Athletes
It's Not Just Words: 10 Smart Word Choices of Smart Athletes
By Anne Josephson, Parent, business owner, educator, blogger, The Blog, October 10, 2014
A few weeks ago, I was counseling parents of an athlete at my gym. According to the parents, the daughter was considering "quitting" gymnastics because she believed that she was "sacrificing" too much to do the sport.
"What do you mean by sacrificing?" I asked.
"I mean she sacrifices so much. You know, normal teenage things like time with friends and Saturday afternoons at the mall," one parent explained.
"Well," I responded thoughtfully, "I don't know that I would use the word 'sacrifice' to describe your daughter's choice in how she is spending her time."
"Oh, whatever, it's just words," the other parent insisted.
But here's the thing: It is not just words.
Words are how people think. So, the words we choose are critical in shaping how we think about our lives.
Additionally, when we use words that represent concepts like "quitting" or "sacrificing," the words we use are windows into what we believe to be important and how we understand our role and responsibility in our values, like pursuing excellence.
Finally, and most relevant to this story, whatever words we chose influence those who hear them. If parents keep reinforcing to their child that her pursuit of excellence in a sport is a sacrifice their child is making instead of a decision she is making, what effect is that likely to have on the child's attitude?
These parents are not alone in their struggle to use the best word choices to help their child form a positive attitude and work ethic. As I started to think of all of the variants of this conversation I have had over the years, I came up with a list of 10 word choices one might consider.
Hint: The best of the best always choose the second option.
Read more:
"What do you mean by sacrificing?" I asked.
"I mean she sacrifices so much. You know, normal teenage things like time with friends and Saturday afternoons at the mall," one parent explained.
"Well," I responded thoughtfully, "I don't know that I would use the word 'sacrifice' to describe your daughter's choice in how she is spending her time."
"Oh, whatever, it's just words," the other parent insisted.
But here's the thing: It is not just words.
Words are how people think. So, the words we choose are critical in shaping how we think about our lives.
Additionally, when we use words that represent concepts like "quitting" or "sacrificing," the words we use are windows into what we believe to be important and how we understand our role and responsibility in our values, like pursuing excellence.
Finally, and most relevant to this story, whatever words we chose influence those who hear them. If parents keep reinforcing to their child that her pursuit of excellence in a sport is a sacrifice their child is making instead of a decision she is making, what effect is that likely to have on the child's attitude?
These parents are not alone in their struggle to use the best word choices to help their child form a positive attitude and work ethic. As I started to think of all of the variants of this conversation I have had over the years, I came up with a list of 10 word choices one might consider.
Hint: The best of the best always choose the second option.
Read more:
