Invictus Blog

Powerful Language Versus Victim Language
Written by Nuno Costa

Working in the fitness industry isn’t just about lifting weights, setting PRs and eating correctly; its also about having a mindset that is going to support your goals. A big part of creating our success in the gym is as heavily influenced by what comes out of our mouth as what we put into it. As one of my clients likes to say, there’s a lot of pop psychology that goes into it as well.

Our words create our reality, our perception of what happens to us, and what we are capable of achieving. When we choose powerful language it allows us to make choices with confidence and empowers us to take risks and go for things that we might not have thought were possible.

Examples of Powerful Language include:

• I am….
• I can…
• I feel…
• I create…
• I choose to, or not to….

Our life is up to us. Our path is determined by what we are willing to create and how much we are willing to put ourselves out there, and that begins with what we say. Ultimately we are solely responsible for what happens to us. It’s easy to get into a slippery slope of victim language such as:

• I can’t…
• I need….
• I should…
• I have to…
• I couldn’t…
• I shouldn’t….
• I had no choice…
• If only you, they….
• You make me feel….
• They, you, made me…
• It’s too late, far, expensive…
• I’m too old, young, uneducated, out of shape…

Listen carefully to what you say for an entire day, and note whether you use more powerful or victim language to communicate. Henry Ford said it best, “Whether you think that you can or you can’t, you’re usually right.”

As the Slim for the Chimney Challenge ends and you determine how you will maintain the progress made, it’s a great time to practice powerful language about what you want to create, and to walk into the possibilities of your choices. Regardless if you are where you think you should be or not, don’t give up – really dedicate these next several weeks to yourself and using powerful language.

I realize the time we chose for this Challenge may not have been ideal for your diet plans or holiday parties, but part of what we hoped to instill is the habits to help you succeed and make lifestyle choices that are going to continue to help you redefine what’s possible in your life. May this be the starting point for your new habits.

Hopefully you’ve made some adjustments in what you eat, drink, how many times you are working out each week and how hard you are pushing yourself. Hopefully you are also becoming more aware of how you communicate to others. Are you feeling sorry for yourself and catching yourself complaining a lot, or are you grateful for the various things in your life – such as health, a roof over your head, being able to put food on the table, etc…. I challenge you to make Powerful language a part of your everyday life going forward.