How can you reframe someone’s critical thoughts about you? Find out how negative words can positively impact your future.
Young at heart
“I want to be a cashier.”
That’s what I announced to my mom in 1962 on my first trip with her to the supermarket.
The job looked fascinating through my young eyes. The ladies at each register seemed to be enjoying their jobs, and enjoyment was definitely what I wanted in life.
Mom scoffed at me. “That’s what you want?” she asked with a sour look on her face. “You can do better than that.”
I waited to hear options that were better than being a cashier, but my mom didn’t share any other job with me. That left me wondering what other jobs existed.
What in the world could I do? What was open to me?
I didn’t think about jobs anymore. It was better to laugh and play with friends outside of our Brooklyn, New York apartment than to think about the future.
Even if I saw another job I believed to be interesting, I doubt that I would have shared it with my mom in anticipation of her dashing my hopes once again.
Train of thought
Who said something to you when you were young that ultimately affected your views?
There are many negative conversations that you’ve heard that are embedded in your mind. Certain visuals or overheard conversations bring forgotten words and thoughts to light, and you know what? I’d rather those negatives stay buried.
It’s not that my mom harmed my thinking. On the contrary, her words helped me to consider more-lucrative professions even though I didn’t know of any.
Guess what? Today, I am a cashier, the person who accepts, counts, and reconciles the money I receive for speaking engagements, book sales, content creation, and a myriad of other financial transactions within my own business. Like you, I am a genius who understands money.
Your turn to win
My mom (shown in the photo standing in beside the elephant’s trunk) spoke success about my future, and I appreciate every word she said and didn’t say.
Thankfully, negative words can positively impact your future. Think back. Who said something to you long ago that you cannot forget that has impacted you positively or negatively, and if negative, what will you do to change the initial belief?
