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The mind-bending power of words — reality is what you say it is
If you can control your choice of words, you can bend reality in your favour
Language is reality: it filters experience. The words I choose define how I see the world. And the reality I engage with. I see what I want to see, focus where I want to focus. Words direct my attention, and attention defines my experience. If I can control the words I use in my head and what I say, I can control my reality. That’s why the books you read (and what you take out of them) have so much influence on your life.
Philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein believed language is the frame of reality. He thought language defines mental boundaries. “A man will be imprisoned in a room with a door that’s unlocked and opens inwards; as long as it does not occur to him to pull rather than push,” he says.
Choosing the right words means I can expand my mental boundaries. I give myself new ways to understand, interpret, and act. Take “I can’t” vs. “I’m learning.” “I can’t” locks me in a box. It’s a conclusion. “I’m learning” opens a door. It’s a process, a journey. The words I choose either box me in or set me free. Every phrase I speak reflects a choice: to limit or to liberate.
