Words and Phrases to Use Less Often

Source: Clker-free-Vector Images/Pixabay, Public Domain

Yesterday, I posted 10 words and phrases that convey intelligence and nuance.

Now, here are some words and phrases that you might want to use less. Not a bad New Year’s resolution.

“I’m stuffed.” That, of course, relates to the stereotypical and usually broken New Year’s resolution to eat less and lose weight. Alas, it’s hard to keep to all the things needed to lose weight: when shopping, eating out, preparing meals, while eating, etc. It may be more effective to try to focus on just one moment: that moment you’re feeling full without being stuffed. So, you'll less often feel the need to say, "I'm stuffed!"

"It's a sign" and the correlate, “meant to be.” Thinking there is a supernatural force that issues signs or that ordains that something will occur unnecessarily disempowers you.

“Like,” “you-know,” “stuff.” For example, “What did I do at work today? Like, you know, meetings, email, and stuff." The words “like” and “you know” dilute what you’re saying, and “stuff” implies you can’t figure out the right words to say.

“Because I said so.” Even good parents don’t always take the time to explain why they want their child to do something. But because you want to model that reason and not power govern your requests, it helps to give a brief explanation such as, “You need to come to the table because our family eats together and if you don’t, the food will get cold.” So, you might want to less-often say, “Because I said so.”

“Low self-esteem.” Too often, people blame their failures on low self-esteem. That’s understandable: It implies that other people caused their failure, usually by denigrating them. That's more comforting than, for example, recognizing that their failures come from within: a lack of skills, drive, or intelligence. But believing that low-self-esteem is the core problem suggests that the solution lies in self- or counselor-dispensed affirmations of the person’s worth, which can create merely the illusion of improvement. It’s often wiser to focus on how to improve your substance. That will more likely to increase both your self-esteem and your efficacy.

“I’m wasted” and its synonyms: hammered, blitzed, loaded, stoned, blotto, etc. Deep down, you probably know that substance abuse hurts you and perhaps your family, friends, and career, even your recreational life. Of course, it’s hard to stop or even moderate, but is this a time to try, even if you’ve failed many times before?

“Virtual,” “remote,” “Zoomed-out,” etc. Oh that one of the vaccines works well and without undue side effects even in the long-term! There is hope: In addition to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, many others are in late-stage trials. So just maybe we can less often use words like “Zoomed-out."

HERE, I suggest words and phrases you might want to you more often—they convey intelligence and nuance.

I read this aloud on YouTube.