7 Words You Need to Stop Using Starting Today

If ever in doubt about what shaped the world as we’ve come to know it, then words are the answer to your question.

Wood and stone, bricks and clay are all ephemeral, pale ghosts that fade away at the break of dawn.

Man is but a fleeting shadow, as Shakespeare once said, only his words can endure the passage of time.

Without a doubt, a word is a powerful entity, an entire universe trapped in the confines of a phonological sign.

To master the art of words is to decipher the inner working of everything that lives and breathes.

7 Words You Need to Stop Using Starting Today

The life of a word goes beyond grammar and meaning.

A word on its own is neither good nor malignant.

It is our way of using them that gives them shape and meaning.

It’s rather a mundane aspect that words can create, but they can also tear apart.

Think about the primordial act and those thundering words that snatched life from the clutches of chaos: “Fiat Lux!”.

Words are indeed very powerful, and the way we use them can shape our relation to reality.

One simple word can bring you happiness while another can make you fall into the chasm of despair.

From infancy, we are taught valuable life lessons like “mind your words” or “think twice before you speak”.

This article will show you how everyday words touch us and how they can tamper with the way we feel.

The words list presented below exemplifies how vague words can influence us in a negative manner.

Here are the seven words you should stop using due to their possible negative connotations.

7. Impossible

Why should we stop using the word “impossible”?

Simply because it is too vague.

According to the dictionary, the word often refers to a problem that cannot be solved, or that can’t be resolved through the usual means.

We are not going to assault you with inspirational quotes about how the impossible can be achieved or that there is no such thing as impossible.

Instead, we are going to say that the word usually borders on vagueness.

It’s quite hard to pinpoint an impossible situation because all it takes to solve that particular problem is a specific approach.

In Greek theater, there was a type of ending which in Latin is called Deux ex Machina or the God in the machine.

It roughly refers to a problematic conjecture that can only be solved by the intervention of a higher power.

Remember: no situation is impossible on its own.

It is only you who deem it that way because you are unable to find a satisfactory outcome.

6. Success

As words go, this one is a real beauty.

Golden-gilded in its appearance, it can sometimes have some murky implications.

Success is so vague that it can define a lot of paradoxical situation.

For example, what is success for one, can be considered failure for another and vice-versa.

If you’re ever wondered about a replacement, try using “fulfillment” instead of success.

Fulfillment is like saying that your wildest dream came true.

The simple word perfectly defines the feeling of satisfaction a businessman has after he closed down a tough deal or the thoughts of a young woman who got her dream job.

When in doubt about the true meaning of fulfillment, you can try reading some examples about what other people think about it.

5.  I Can’t

There’s a big difference between “impossible” and “I can’t”.

When saying impossible, you are basically signaling that a particularly problematic situation is unsolvable by default, no matter the approach.

On the other hand, when you say something like “I can’t,” you automatically assume that there is a solution, but you, for some reason, are unable to find it or, at a certain point, it eludes you.

There are so many ‘I can’ts” in our lives:

• I can’t complete that task.
• I can’t compete with him/her.
• I can’t apply for that job.
• I can’t say what I’m actually thinking.

Thinking that I can’t and actually admitting it can make a difference between getting that job that you’ve always wanted it and not doing anything for it.

It would best to refrain from using this word.

Keep in mind that there’s always a solution to all of your problems.

You’ll need to figure out what’s the best approach.

Words like I can’t usually denote a volitional issue.

The truth is that most people who tend to use this word are simply not motivated enough to get the job done.

For example, think about how you deal with job applications.

You see an endless list of job requirements, and even though you are qualified for a lot of them, you still think you can’t get it.

Creating filtered lists might help get a better idea if you’re up for the challenge you need and it will also boost your confidence.

When looking for a job, try looking for specific areas of expertise, which are closer to your studies or training.

4. Angry

Anger is a very complex emotion.

As defined by the medical dictionary, anger is the way we respond to a provocation.

Anger can be understood as discomfort and retaliation.

Like all terms which refer to our inner self, anger doesn’t define only one thing.

Instead, the word is an umbrella term which designates a series of responses to provocation.

Why should we refrain from using the word “anger”?

Because it is a vague term.

The word anger can be used to describe half a dozen emotional states.

For example, someone can say that they feel angry because someone faded away from the world.

Naturally, this statement can have many meanings: mourning, despair, anguish, fear, pity, and even disappointment.

If you still are confused about the anger is, you can try accessing a couple of online resources and read a little about how to interpret this complex emotion.

3. Believe

Like anger, the word “believe” has far too many implications to keep count of.

A simple statement like “I believe” can make you think that the person who uttered it can either believe in a higher power or either has his reasons to think that his argument is correct.

A word like “I believe” is both subjective and extremely volatile.

Instead of using it all the time, you could replace it with something like “I think that”.

By switching the two words, you automatically say two things: that the argument is your own and that you have some reasons to back up what you’re saying.

2. Fear

Fear is very closely related to anger.

In some circumstances, people often mistake fear for anger and vice-versa.

The word itself unlocks a whole universe of meanings, with each of them interconnected.

The word fear is also connected to some deep-brain mechanisms that put your body on high alert.

As you can see, the word by itself is quite vague, and it can have a lot of different meanings like apprehension, anger and envy.

When engaged in a conversation, it is better to avoid the use of fear in constructions such as “I fear that he doesn’t actually agree with me”, because, like anger, the word “fear” can create a sense of confusion.

On the other hand, fear as a psychological pattern can be explained by enumerating all bodily reactions which take place when a person is afraid of something.

To learn more about what happens inside your body when you genuinely fear for your life, you can take a closer look at various definitions and interpretations provided by the medical dictionary.

1. Good and right as opposed to bad and wrong

What we must understand is that constructs like good and wrong are used to define a behavioral pattern.

But beyond mere psychology, such words like right, wrong, good and bad are used to illustrate that our whole world is founded on duality.

No action or thought is inherently right or wrong.

It is we who deem its meaning.

Why should we refrain from using a word like good?

Because, like any social construct, the term good is subjected to the effect of relativity.

To better understand this, we should add another way of measuring right and wrong: morality.

What’s good is moral and what’s bad is immoral – at least that’s what they teach us in school.

But, as we’ve come to understand, life isn’t painted in just black and white.

It has a vast number of shades, which means an action might seem wrong to you, but good to others.

Before we part ways, we should mention one other thing.

By stopping the use of these words, we, by no means, say that you must forget about their existence.

Each word is unique just like the world it conjures, which has its own place and beauty.