Home
>
Positive Attitude Tips
>
Garbage Words In - Garbage Thinking Out

Garbage Words In - Garbage Thinking Out

"At birth, a baby's brain contains 100 billion neurons, roughly as many nerve cells as there are stars in the Milky Way," according to an article Time magazine.

My first reaction? "Wow, we get all that power and hardware with no owner's manual or instructions booklet."

Just imagine what we could do if we understood a tenth of what our brains are capable of.

Now, I certainly don't presume to offer an owner's manual, but I can offer a few suggestions about what and what not to put into our brains.

The power of the words we use and how they affect what we think has been grossly underestimated.

You've probably heard someone say, usually while losing an argument, "Well, that's just semantics." I've learned that, when it comes to managing our brains, it is all semantics.

This is because the brain is simply a computer that takes in what we give it, whether it is in our interest or not.

For example, there are words I call garbage words.

A garbage word is a word that, if you allow your brain to use it on a regular basis, will lead to garbage thinking. Garbage thinking leads to garbage feelings and garbage actions, all of which can keep us from living the kind of lives we want to have.

"I have to."

There are very few things in life we have to do. There are very many things in life we choose to do.

Constantly saying "I have to" diminishes our power of choice. Replacing "I have to" with "I choose to" or "I get to" allows us to choose and bypasses the brain's natural resistance to being forced.

"Try."

This is one of the most powerful garbage words in common usage. For example, try to pick up the newspaper you are now reading. You either pick it up or you don't. Those are the only two outcomes.

In the words of Yoda in the "Star Wars" trilogy: "Do or do not. There is no 'try."'

"Hard."

This garbage word convinces our brains not to do something. It's an excuse for fear and/or laziness. Saying something is hard does not make it any easier to accomplish. Remember, though, that some things are difficult. But difficult things are still doable.

"I can't." This one usually means "I won't" or "I choose not to." A good replacement is "If I could, what would I do?"

"Losing weight."

I love this one. Consider how many times you or someone you know has said he or she wants to lose weight. Now consider what the brain hears.

What have we conditioned our brains to do when we "lose" something? We find it and get it back. Instead of "losing weight," we really want to "get rid of" weight.

"Yes, but ..."

Our brains automatically disregard everything that comes before the word "but." That's because when you hear the word "but," you think, "Ah, ha. Here comes the truth."

Instead of saying "but," use the word "and" (as in, "You did a good job with this, and you could also do that").

Is what I'm suggesting just a form of positive thinking?

Not really.

While positive thinking can be good, it's not enough all by itself. If you are walking in the rain during a thunderstorm saying, "It's not raining, it's not raining," you still are going to get wet.

What this is about is using words to operate your brain properly.

Here's a suggestion: Try replacing - oops! - I mean, replace garbage words with these replacement words, at the rate of one a week.

Eventually, you will eliminate the garbage words from your vocabulary, and get better results.

Visit secretsofgreatrelationships.com for tips and tools for creating and growing a great relationship. You can also subscribe to our f*r*e*e 10 day e-program on how to enrich your relationship today, from relationship coach and expert Jeff Herring.

kitchen deep cleaning Deerfield ..

In The News:

Unlike robotaxi competitors, Tensor focuses on consumer-owned self-driving cars that adapt to highways and urban roads with full redundancy systems for safety.

Medicare scams cost $54 billion in 2024 as fraudsters target beneficiaries with fake calls demanding payments and personal information to steal benefits.

Scammers create fake Evite invitations that mimic legitimate event emails, requiring users to verify senders and use antivirus software for protection.

The new Apple Watch hypertension feature passively monitors blood pressure patterns over 30 days using sensors to detect chronic high blood pressure signs.

Chrome extension spyware disguised as a free VPN service highlights security risks after it captured private browsing data from trusted sites.

New research shows how fatty acids in cooking oil can safely dissolve and recover silver from circuit boards without harmful chemicals or environmental damage.

The Fox News AI newsletter gives you information on the latest AI technology advancements, and about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Anthropic investigates alarming AI abuse case where hacker automated entire cybercrime campaign using Claude, stealing sensitive data from defense and healthcare firms.

TikTok, Meta and YouTube restrict Charlie Kirk shooting videos with age gates and warnings while X faces criticism for allowing continued circulation.

Cybercriminals use fake troubleshooting websites to trick Mac users into running terminal commands that install Shamos malware through ClickFix tactics.

San Francisco startup Fable launches Showrunner, an AI platform dubbed the 'Netflix of AI' that generates animated episodes from text descriptions with Amazon support.

Apple raised iPhone prices for some models despite receiving tariff relief from President Donald Trump, with the new lineup starting at $799 for the base model.

A two-story 3D concrete printed home in Western Australia demonstrates faster construction methods that could reshape American housing amid rising costs.

Credit scores remain important during retirement for insurance rates and housing applications, while seniors become prime targets for identity theft and financial scams.

Scammers now send unexpected packages with QR codes that redirect victims to fraudulent websites or download malicious software to steal sensitive information.

Meeting AI tools record private conversations alongside work discussions, creating privacy risks that can be managed with proper settings and awareness.

Hotel privacy concerns are valid but rare, with methods to detect hidden tech using smartphone flashlights, mirror tests and scanning apps.

Improve your Wi-Fi speed and reliability with 10 simple router optimization tips that don't require special apps or expensive subscriptions.

A Columbia University breach exposed names, Social Security numbers and academic records of nearly 869,000 people, with notifications beginning in August.

Rental car drivers use AI-powered apps like Proofr to protect themselves from unfair damage fees as major companies deploy automated inspection tools.

Fox News' AI newsletter brings you the latest on technology advancements around artificial intelligence.

OnTrac data breach between April 13-15, 2025, exposed personal information of over 40,000 people including Social Security numbers and medical records.

A woman named Wika announces her engagement to an AI chatbot sparking worldwide debate about virtual relationships and technology.

The notorious people search site National Public Data relaunches despite a previous breach affecting 3 billion individuals, raising fresh privacy concerns.

Revolutionary TRAUMAGEL gel controls life-threatening bleeding from gunshot wounds and traumatic injuries, helping first responders prevent prehospital deaths.

Garbage Words In - Garbage Thinking Out

Positive Attitude Tips