The Power of Words: 5 Tips for Empowered Language

Rabbi Evan Moffic starts the show discussing how small tweaks in the way we speak and in our language can have huge changes in our mindset. He goes into how the language of today is based on what the Bible tells us. Later Rabbi illustrates a story about a feather pillow and the importance of words. He gives us 5 tips on how to improve our lives through language.

Announcer 0:02
Welcome to the Solomon Success Show where we explore the timeless wisdom of King Solomon and the Bible as it relates to business and investing false prophets and get rich quick schemes are everywhere. Let’s not be distracted by these. Instead, let’s go to the source, the eternal principles that create a life of peace, power and prosperity. Here’s our host, Jason Hartman.

Rabbi Evan Moffic 0:34
Welcome to the Solomon success Show. I’m Rabbi Evan Moffitt. I’m a friend and client of Jason. And he was kind enough to extend the opportunity to co host the show. This is a show that brings biblical wisdom to bear on the challenges and dreams that we all have. Dreams of meaning have a meaningful life, of happiness of joy of freedom and I am speaking to you because I’m a rabbi. And while I speak from the Jewish tradition, I draw from biblical wisdom for people of all face, people that are seeking faith, people that have questions about what faith means for us today. I’ve written several books about happiness about the Jewishness of Jesus devotionals, even a book on anti semitism, because I really believe that Jewish tradition and Jewish values have so much to teach people of all faiths, whether we’re Jewish, Christian, Muslim, really just secular, we can find meaningful wisdom in our greatest book. And that wisdom really originated in Solomon. That’s why this is called the Solomon succession because Solomon was not only the wealthiest man in the world during this time, but he was also the wisest wisdom and wealth go hand in hand. And if there’s any area of life, where we need ancient wisdom, it’s in the pursuit of wealth and happiness and meaning What we’re going to talk about today, I think really could be one of the most essential lessons. And that is the power of words. And how the language we use shapes the thoughts we have which shapes the actions we pursue. How you use words will help shape whether you are successful or not. Bottom line true. Our words matter. You’ve probably heard that saying sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. Not true. I mean, maybe that’s a good nursery rhyme because it can stop kids from punching and being violent with each other. But the truth is, words can hurt. But words can also inspire and uplift and shape us. The thoughts we have shaped the words we say shape the actions we pursue shape the patterns and behaviors of our lives. I want to start with a story about how powerful words can be. And that story is from a book in Jewish tradition called the Talmud, which is a book of Jewish wisdom and stories and traditions. And this is about a rabbi who on a windy day, he takes his students on a hike in the hills near By Jerusalem, and he has carried a feather pillow with him. And when the group reaches the summit of one of the hills, he takes out a knife and he slices open the pillow. The wind scatters the feathers in all directions. And the rabbi, he turns to his students, and tells them to go gather all the feathers, and bring them back to him. Of course, these students are pretty smart, and they realize that that is an impossible task. And then the rabbi says, such as the power of words, like the feathers, once they leave your mouth, they can never be recovered. So we better watch what we say. When we better watch how we say it. Because our words matter. Solomon, Great King Solomon, the Book of Proverbs says life and death are in the power of the tongue. I think he really meant a life of happiness and prosperity, of meaning. Depends on the words we say. And if we don’t do it, well will live a life of dullness of spiritual death of desperation and frustration. All of that depends on the language that we use. I don’t know where I saw this quote but it said thoughts become words words becomes actions actions become patterns and patterns become you so the words you say shaped the person you are so what are the kind of words now we’re going to look closely at income property investing because I know many of you who listen to the show are investors although this isn’t an investing show. This is a wisdom show but many who listened because you’re coming from from Jason are really understand income property and real estate. And Jason even just the words I’m using income property, Jason talks a lot about how we’re really not interested in real estate. We’re interested in income property, income property, because when you think when you hear the word real estate, you think appreciation and growth and speculation, but what we’re really interested in Income property property that you buy that makes sense the day you buy it. So simply using those words income property instead of real estate shapes the way we think and shapes the actions that we pursue. Also, Robert Kiyosaki, of course, wrote Rich Dad, Poor Dad, one of the greatest selling personal finance books of all time, he talks about the power of words. And he said, instead of saying, I can’t afford it, we should say, How can I afford it? Kiyosaki said, I can’t afford it shuts down your brain. It doesn’t have to think anymore. But asking the question, How can I afford it? opens up the brain and forces it to think and search for answers. Oh, just one small tweak in how we use language changes our mindset. It’s really remarkable. Now one of the biblical principles and this I think is probably unique to Judaism, this teaching in Genesis 126 it says God created human beings, but sell them eloheem in the image of God. Now then the Jewish sages ask a very important question. What does it mean to be created in the image of God? And they offer all kinds of answers. Maybe it means that we’re creative, just like God is creative could mean that we have a soul. And that soul comes from God, God breathed that soul into us. And so that’s what it means to be creating the image of God. And these are all possible answers. We don’t have a definitive answer. But one Rabbi offered this interpretation. We’re creating the image of God, because we can use language, like God uses language. We can speak as God spoke. Remember, how did God create the world God said, Let there be light and there was light. God said, separate the lights from the earth. And so God speaks the world into being and like God, we use words to speak to create In Judaism, the way we consecrate a marriage of bride and groom come together when the groom says to the bride, the Hebrew words Hooray, Mecca definitely buy this ring you are consecrated unto me as my wife according to the laws of Moses and Israel. Once a groom says those words they are married, their legal status has changed. Words have an impact. It’s incredible. So we need to take seriously how we speak, what we say. One really important overarching truth. I’m going to give us five tips for using language. But one I think overarching goal should be to use language of abundance. This is what Robert Kiyosaki talks about. This is what Jason is talking about. Jason has talked extensively about the power of visualization. And visualization is based on using vivid words, words that paint a picture create an image in our mind. We’re living an abundant life surrounded by smells of rosemary and beauty and we hear the sound of the ocean and we are feel the breeze as we walked through the ocean painting that image. Using those words, helps bring our mind and behavior closer to realizing that image. Our words matter. You know, people say a picture’s worth 1000 words, but 1000 words or even 10 words can paint a very vivid, beautiful picture. And sometimes the most vivid pictures come from the words that we use, also, and I think this is also pretty important. We need to use our words carefully so that we can see when other people are trying to manipulate us with words. If you’re in the real estate business, you know that there’s some great salesmen out there salesmen and saleswomen who can paint beautiful pictures with words designed to sell us something. So we have to be aware you know, words are extremely powerful, kind of like fire, you know, it can warm you but it can also burn you. So we have to be aware of the power of words and analyze words and know when they can be abused. Also, you know, words and deeds go hand in hand. If somebody’s all talk and no Action, we know that they’re using words, almost superficially to hide something. So knowing the power of words also is a cautionary tale. But how do we use words wisely? Here are my suggestions. I’ve got a lot of them. And I’m just going to start with a few. Try to use words of kindness. Kindness, I talked about this in the book, The happiness prayer, and I’ve talked about it with Jason kind words can make a huge difference. We never know what someone else is going through. We never know if they’ve just experienced a death in their family if they’ve going through a divorce, if they’re living paycheck to paycheck and having a difficult time when we speak and interact with others use words of kindness, and not just when we speak and interact with acquaintances or strangers. When we speak and interact with our family, our spouses, our kids. There’s a great psychologist, Robert Guttman, and he said, every interaction is an opportunity for kindness and healthy relationship has five experiences of concern. For every one negative experience, so try to use words of kindness whenever we can. It makes a huge difference. It create bonds our words, our language creates bonds between people in deep and lasting ways. So use words of kindness. Second, use words to uplift and inspire. Encourage others, the happiness that we all experience in life, life and death is in the power of the tongue. All of that comes from the relationships that we build. And how do we build relationships with others? Well, we have shared experiences, we come from similar towns, we have similar values, but we also create relationships with words. You know, I do a lot of weddings. And I can’t tell you how many relationships that end up in marriage begin with long five hour dinners where a couple really gets to know and talk with one another. And they use language to build that friendship, that relationship. So the relationships that matter in life come from the words we exchange with one another. So use words to inspire to uplift the greatest social change, serious change the rise of victory in World War Two was driven by the rhetoric the words of Winston Churchill. And we all know the power of President Kennedy’s words. That’s not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country. All these words Martin Luther King, I Have a Dream speech, words change history. So let’s use them to inspire and uplift. Third, I already mentioned this, but it’s worth repeating us words of abundance, use words to paint the ideal picture of your life. Use visualizations to paint the picture you want to experience and then step into that picture that can make you happier and healthier even even a sense prayer. Prayer, which is driven by the way we look at the Bible prayer is almost painting a vision of God’s love and God’s mercy and God’s power in the world. And when we pray, we’re, we’re experiencing that we’re envisioning that we’re entering into God’s world. So prayer is an exercise in the use of language. Fourth, is remember that simple words can change somebody’s life. They can be profound. There’s a very famous attorney. He’s actually become somewhat controversial lately, but a guy named Alan Dershowitz. And if you’ve seen Alan Dershowitz on TV, he comes across as extremely confident and extremely bright. I mean, he’s one of the most successful attorneys of the last 20 3040 years. And he tells a story that when he was a kid, he was a big troublemaker. He was not a good student. He had trouble in school. He wasn’t achieving very much. And oftentimes he would go with his father to the butcher in town, he grew up in Brooklyn, he would go to the Jewish, the kosher butcher, and he would talk and one day the butcher turned to him and said, you know, Alan, you’re smart, you’re thoughtful. You’ve got a lot to say. And that interaction, that was the first time someone had said that to him. That interaction changed his life. He had thought that he would just go into business with his dad follow what his dad was doing. But he realized that he knew how to use words well, and he could be persuasive. And so that simple act of affirmation from the butcher helped make him Become the lawyer he is. I’ve experienced that too. There was a guy in my elementary school custodian who said, you know, you can be a rabbi. And that helped ignite that vision in me. simple words, just saying something that we may not even think is that important. But that is a simple act of affirmation or encouragement, can really reshape somebody’s life. So think about how you can do that. The fifth is that, try to avoid negative words. Try to avoid that imagery. You know that there’s a really interesting study that said the use of negative words, activates the fear response in us, which raises the level of our stress hormones. So when we use words of anxiety of fear, we’re actually making ourselves more stressed. We’re creating the situation that we’re trying to avoid in life. You know, when we become too negative, we become edgy, and then we become more angry and more edgy. So try to use positive words. That doesn’t mean we paper over three realities and frustrations and despair of life, we’re all going to experience sadness and we can’t always make sadness happy. We can reframe we can accept. Nobody lives a life of total bliss and privilege. But we can try to focus on the positive. And we focus more on the positive when we use words of kindness, inspiration, uplift, will be happier in life. Life and death are in the power of this tongue, associate Solomon. And it’s not just physical life and death. It’s our spiritual life in our spiritual death, our happiness, our despair, if we use our words wisely, will not only be happier, but will ultimately be wealthier because we’ll form relationships will inspire ourselves and others will have the freedom we yearn for as we paint the picture of the life that we want to live. We could talk about this topic all day. But if you want to leave some kind words for me and for the show, please go to iTunes. It’ll take you less than a minute. And it’ll really uplift and inspire me so you can start an act on this To show right now again, it’s a little self serving. But I’m shamelessly asking you to share some kind words about this show. Just go to the iTunes page for the Solomon success show, leave some kind words. Hopefully, this episode can inspire you to use words more wisely in your own life. And now we’re going to return to this topic. Because there’s so much more I can say, I’ve given many sermons on this. And people have told me it’s been impactful in their lives. And I think all the time about how we use words, to live a more meaningful, appropriate life. I’m Jewish. So the gospel of john is not something that’s part of my Canon. But isn’t the gospel of john it opens with In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God. So the word makes a huge difference. The words we use shape, the trajectory, the purpose, the happiness we experience in life. So leave some kind words for me on the iTunes page and start leaving some kind words for everyone in your life. Shalom.

Announcer 15:53
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