Every day we are surrounded by a variety of words. Without words, we would have a hard time expressing ourselves. We use words intentionally: to uplift, influence, convince, harm or inspire. Even more, skilled strategists can manipulate us easily with words. However, we underestimate the power of words too often; news, advertising, social media, personal messages etc., influence our well-being significantly. It can also impact our behaviour without us noticing. Keeping up with the floods of information makes it increasingly complicated to distinguish right from wrong, true from false and valuable from invaluable.

In fact, our quality of life* is largely influenced by the power of words. This makes sense because one word can change our whole mood – positive or negative. Moreover, our linguistic abilities determine whether or not we contribute to our own well-being. In addition to the many negative media reports, people tend to speak lowly of themselves and contribute to a distorted self-perception. You see, we shouldn’t underestimate the power of words, especially regarding our well-being.

The power of words and our quality of life

*Quick note: 

Quality of life = intangible feelings like happiness, health and comfort

Standard of living =  availability of measurable wealth and material comfort to a person, community or society

What does the power of words have to do with Sustainability? In every sense, Sustainability contributes positively to quality of life* and standard of living*. In connection with Sustainability, we hear or read words like complex, expensive, difficult or challenging. The more we expose ourselves to a similar narrative, the more we internalise the message. That is good when it contributes positively to our well-being, but it’s problematic when it supports helplessness, confusion and inaction. 

Achieving Sustainability depends on how its meaning and interpretation are presented to the masses. If we highlight all the opportunities contributing to a better life, we feel more motivated to participate. If we focus solely on the challenges and don’t give room to find solutions, we miss the chance for real change.

For example, the more we hear about the climate crisis’s negative impacts the more we feel helpless and discouraged. Consequently, negative news affects our emotions and we feel increasingly unsafe in our actions. Words are powerful tools, but if the narrative favours inaction rather than action, we will have deep problems reversing the crises. Words destroy but also create our future. We choose the way we use words and how we interpret what others say. Words have a perpetual role in our lives.

Why do words matter so much for Sustainability?

We use words to express ourselves – our emotions, ideas, wants, needs and desires. It is scientifically proven that words shape our lives. The meaning of words significantly influences our perspective on the world. Our beliefs are shaped by words. Our behaviour is driven by words, and words create our world.

The reason that words matter is because we are globally interconnected. We can easily gain knowledge about other perspectives, and news from around the world can reach us 24/7. How does the all-time receptivity affect us? What type of news are we more likely to read? Fake and hateful news is an immense problem in our modern world. It doesn’t only increase our feelings of helplessness and fear, but it also distorts reality.

Additionally, the diversity of news content is steadily decreasing. Social media is not very helpful here as it homogenises the type of news we receive. Helplessness is the feeling I get when I read Sustainability related information. The focus of the news providers is on conviction rather than solutions. Thankfully, the narrative in the Sustainability space is changing.

Pinterest: Reimagine Sustainability

Our words, our choice

What if we used words to shape our world in a more sustainable way? One of the reasons Sustainability goals are difficult to achieve is because we portray them as difficult. As a matter of fact, achieving Sustainability is pretty simple because we already have what we need, but we are not picturing how easily it can be done.

Thus, words are important when we define our reality because we choose our words. When we have a choice, we have the power to change something. Our habits are shaped by our words. If we get up every morning and think “Let’s seize the day”, it’s a lot easier to get started. If we get up and think “ I don’t want to get out of bed” then we will have a difficult time pursuing what we want to do during the day. It can be as simple as that.

Why we should take care of our perception of information

As you can see, it’s important to understand how words shape our lives and how we perceive ourselves in the world. If we use words such as failure or incompetence, we decide to stay on a pathway that doesn’t benefit us and can cause us harm. How we use words determines if we succeed. Instead of using the words failure or any other related terms, switch to using words related to opportunities, possibilities and solutions. Fear will always be a companion, but that is okay. You decide if fear determines your life, or alternatively, you can simply acknowledge it as a signal of the unknown, full of opportunities.

Not gonna lie, it takes practice and the ability to use words for your own benefit won’t come overnight. Our environment is not very helpful when it comes to mindfulness. Another obstacle is our habit of mindlessly scrolling on our phones; TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin, Facebook etc. We are at the mercy of the content we are consuming. It’s a lot of content. According to Statista, we spent 147 minutes daily on social media platforms, worldwide! It is more than two hours per day, that is 894 hours per year! Crazy, isn’t it? 894 hours of content you have little choice over that influences your perspective, feelings and behaviour.

Every year, you spend 37 whole days (more than a month) on social media

Blue = Time spent sleeping (calculation based on 8h/day results in 122 days of sleep/year)

Green = Time spent working (calculate based on 40h/week, 260 working days/year results in 86 full days/year)

Red = Time spent on social media (147 minutes per day results in 37 full days/year)

Participating passively in the type of content you consume is dangerous. There is a lot of content that is not beneficial for your mental health and it harms your perception of the world. We already know that words are important when we define our reality, but what happens if we are continuously exposed to negative news? It manifests harmful beliefs and it leads to actions that might worsen the situation. 

The more we mindlessly consume, the more difficult it will become to take care of ourselves and the world around us.

Repetition: A curse and a blessing depending on the context

Our brain uses repetition to learn by searching for patterns and consistency. The more we expose ourselves to repetitive messages, the more they become engraved in us. Let’s inspect the narrative about the climate crisis. 

Mostly, you will find information about how the climate crisis developed (important information), who the baddies are, and all the promising but expensive technology (renewable energy, hydrogen, carbon capture, etc.). Then you find information on how you can contribute like recycling, less flying, buying greener, going solar etc. 

Less likely, you will find information from big news agencies about system failure and instability due to poor management practices. The issue is that we mostly focus on fighting the symptoms, but don’t address the crisis at its root: a global, homogenised economy that is based on the exploitation of humanity and the planet – for the benefit of very few people.

Why I refuse to speak of climate change

Personally, I assume change with a positive feeling. Using climate change does not reflect the magnitude of challenges we are facing. Therefore, I prefer to use the word crisis in my articles. It also draws the connection to other crises. It sounds weird to speak of biodiversity change, but when we say biodiversity crisis we know what’s going on. The same goes for poverty crises, mental health crises, ecosystem crises etc. 

If you want to understand the interconnectedness of crises, I suggest you to read this article: From A Carbon Tunnel Vision To A Holistic Collaboration Approach

We are right in the middle of many crises and for this reason, we need to treat them as such. If we portray them as change, it does not highlight the urgent necessity that we need to act now. Contrarily, if we speak of crises, we instantly want to avoid the consequences by mobilising our capabilities to prevent them.

On purpose, I  will continue writing and speaking of crises to highlight that we are in times of intense difficulty and danger. We are in times where we have to respond and make decisions. The earlier we realise that it is a crisis, the more likely we can change our minds. 

How can we use the power of words to address our crises accordingly?

We can make deliberate choices and consume the information which empowers us instead of making us feel small and insignificant. Stay conscious of the media you’re consuming. Actively decide to consume media favouring the best behaviour and that inspires you to take action. 

One of my favourite pieces of advice is: to go on a negative diet. Anything that makes you feel bad you muck out of your feeds. In regards to Sustainability, follow people who live inspiring lives and show you ways to change the world. Follow and connect with people who already do what you would like to do. Use those real-people stories to uplift your personal energy and improve your life. 

Moreover, improve your vocabulary. Identify words you’re frequently using. For example, I’m a person who gets trapped in a spiral of negative outlooks. It is something like internal propaganda. When I feel like I’m getting trapped in another swirl of negative and accusing thoughts, I picture a big red stop sign in my head. Usually, the intrusive thoughts stop, but sometimes I need to visualise the stop sign more often.

You see, the world doesn’t have to be complicated, and this simple change can bring more clarity to the complexity of Sustainability. Words can root deeply and we can decide to make a mark that lasts a lifetime and benefits us all. 

Using the right words to fuel Sustainability (emission-free of course)

To support you in this endeavour, I’ve created a Sustainability wordlist to help you use words that are beneficial in describing our Sustainability goals. These words reflect opportunities and achievements in order to communicate Sustainability positively. Use these words to create meaningful, inspirational and empowering messages to motivate action. It can also be beneficial to use more positive words when talking to a pessimist for example. Maybe, with the help of this list, you will be able to plant a seed of hope:

The power of words: Sustainability Wordlist

Use your Sustainability wordlist to create the impact you want to see in the world

Our positive impacts can become endless if we are more intentional about how we encourage Sustainability. There are plenty of stories where one sentence or even one simple word changed someone’s life for the better. The right words make the difference. Our words create our future dreams. Now more than ever, we have the power to shape our future and turn our dreams into reality.

We are the decision-makers who decide whether to use words for our advantage or disadvantage. I encourage you to be mindful and look at the Sustainability wordlist. Do they bring a different perspective on how we can speak about Sustainability? Does it feel better? Encouraging? Inspiring people to take action?

The more we become aware of what is motivating us the better we are able to take matters into our own hands. The more positivity we let into our lives – especially with positive words – the more we can manifest and create a better future for us all. Imagine positive power taking over the world, making Sustainability easy to achieve.

I’m already using the magical power of words, consciously. Hence, I hope you can see this in my various articles. Sustainability has never been easier to achieve and I know that the way I communicate reflects the future I want for us: beautiful and full of opportunities.