The Use Of Language

Last weekend, I was fortunate enough to attend an under 13s boys indoor soccer semi-final match in which a friend of mine had his two sons playing. Before the match, the boys were more focused on trying to convince everyone that one of their team mates (who apparently was not very good and had not participated consistently throughout the season)should not be playing. The boys tried to get their father to speak to the official and prevent the other boy from playing.

I observed with interest the language they were using. They were making comments like, "We are going to lose because he is crap" and "He always lets in easy goals". It was good to see their father telling them to remove all the negative talk from their vocabulary before the game and I also used positive words to help shift their focus. Having seen and experienced the difference language makes, I had my doubts that they would win their match. The old saying, "If you say you can or you say you can't, either way, you are right" was going through my mind. I was curious to see how the boys would perform as a team.

To my surprise, the boys managed to win 3-2 and the boy who supposedly was not very good made some critical saves when he was playing as a goalkeeper. After the game, both parents tried to say to their boys that they would not have won if the other boy had not played. They would had 4 players on their team against 5 from the opposition. During dinner, their father told them again to remove all the negative talk from their language in preparation for the grand final this weekend.

I sure hope the boys understand the importance of using the right language. Whatever you say, you are sending a message to your mind that that's what you want. And somehow, your mind will give you what you want. Never underestimate the power of words.

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