And the word is...

Just a short, sweet blog entry today :-)

The Positive Word Dictionary

I recently received 'The Positive Word Dictionary' in the mail and wanted to let you know that I think it's a life enhancing addition to any bookshelf.  It has over one thousand eight hundred positive keywords and is a great resource for expanding your range of positive words. The author is Michael Fisher and you can get a copy from his website:

>> The Positive Word Dictionary

As you know from previous blog entries (Positive Emotion Words and Positive Words are life enhancing) research shows that the English language has approximately 50% more negative words than positive words.

So it's vitally important to counter this tendency towards negativity by expanding your positive vocabulary.

I've made good use of the Positive Word Dictionary to enhance the list of positive words in the Positive Word Tool, so please feel free to download a copy here and use it to play the 'Positive Word Game' - randomly select a positive emotion word and then live out and explore that emotion during your day.

>> Download the Positive Word Tool

Enhancing your life with words

You might also remember in my blog entry 'Words are Life Enhancing' that I discussed how words are the tools you use to understand, filter and construct meaning and reality. They're also the tools you use to communicate, negotiate, influence and inspire others. The larger your vocabulary and the greater the number of distinctions you have for describing and articulating your world, the more refined you'll be in the outcomes you create.

And linking this notion, with the concepts from my last blog entry on the positive psychology of Generosity  - Generosity makes a life enhancing difference,  I'd like to introduce you to a website that combines learning new words in a fun way while helping to feed starving people. Sound good? It's a life enhancing way to do generosity while expanding your vocab.

Free Rice

FreeRice.com is a non-profit website run by the United Nations World Food Program.

According to their website FreeRice has two goals:

   1. Provide education to everyone for free.
   2. Help end world hunger by providing rice to hungry people for free.

So how does it work?

Free Rice provides a vocabulary game, that teaches you new words in a fun way. It really is a great way to enhance your vocabulary. And the best bit is that for each answer you get right, the sponsors and advertisers donate 10 grains of rice through the World Food Programme.

Even though 10 grains of rice may seem like a small amount, it's important to remember that while you are playing, so are thousands of other people at the same time -- and it's everyone together that makes the difference.

The benefits to you

Learning new vocabulary has tremendous benefits. It can help you:

• Formulate your ideas better
• Write better emails, letters and reports
• Speak more precisely and persuasively
• Comprehend more of what you read
• Read faster because you comprehend better
• Be more effective and successful at your job
• Think more clearly and make more distinctions and meaning in your life

And linking to the research on Generosity and Altruism, you will also benefit from knowing you are doing something to help those less fortunate than yourself.

>> Play FreeRice.com

Words can make a difference

Yes, in more ways than one, words truly can make a life enhancing difference to the world... so remember:

"Words can either Build Up or Tear Down, Strengthen or Weaken, Emancipate or Enslave…THE CHOICE IS OURS!"

Roger Anthony

positive best wishes,
Grant

Positive Words are life enhancing - Use the Positive Word Tool

"The quality of your life is in direct proportion to the thoughts you think and the words you use.

The more positive thoughts you have the more positive the outcomes in your life.

Positive things happen to positive people."

Michael Fisher, The Positive Word Dictionary

In a previous blog entry on 'Positive Emotion Words' I talked about the importance and effects of words on emotions and how we have more negative words in our vocabulary than positive words. I also shared the idea of 'Positive Emotion Theme Days' and how in one of the Organisations I do consulting with, we have been enjoying the transformational effect of these.

Each day, the team uses a tool I created, to randomly select a positive emotion word, the word is printed out in colour, placed in a prominent position and also emailed out to all the members of the team, including a growing list of recipients from other areas in the Organisation and even to vendors the team interacts with. As I indicated in my previous blog entry:

"The team does their best to enact and live the selected emotion during the work day. It really makes for a much better work environment, is great for team bonding and just plain fun. I’m sure the improved mood and state of the team also carries over into better outcomes and experiences for our clients."

We've now been using this process for nearly 12 months and some of the comments and feedback from the team about their positive experience include:

• "It's something I look forward to each day. And it takes the 'grumph' out of the difficult days. It puts our team into a positive frame of mind, and even our extended family of vendors and staff in other divisions now anticipate its arrival."

• "The positive word makes you think of positive things when it arrives, you are ‘taken away’ from the drudgery of day to day work…..it enhances your thoughts."

• "I personally think it has changed the dynamics of our team at work. Previously it was like walking into a very sad and stale place. Now its enjoyable, fun and colourful."

• "It's very uplifting. It makes me feel good!"

Words have a bio-chemical effect on the body

As I've articulated in many of these blog entries... our words and thoughts have an effect on how we feel about ourselves and others -- Each word you use has the power to change your mood and thereby influence those around you. Positive words engender and inspire positive emotions (positive emoting). And influence your heart, mind and those around you.

And as you can see, playing with Positive Word Days is fun and life enhancing! So I encourage you to take it up in your own workplace or team and use it to make a life enhancing difference to your day.

Download the Positive Word Tool for free

In order to support you to do this, I've created an Excel workbook tool that you can download for free here:

>> Download the Positive Word Tool

Just click the link and then click the 'Download' button to save the tool to your own computer. Run it and click the button. It uses excel macro code to randomly select a word from the list on the 'Word List' tab. You can add extra words to the tab.


Let me know how you find using the tool and what effects it has in your life or with your own organisational culture enhancing.

positive best wishes

Grant