In an effort to increase efficiency, Alexander Kuzmin, the 33-year-old mayor of Megion, a small Siberian oil town, has banned the use of statements like "I don't know" and "I can't" along with 25 other phrases. He believes that officials should work out ways to "...solve and remove problems, not avoid them." And those who can't change their language risk losing their jobs. So now, before reporting to the Mayor the staff creates several proposals for how each problem can be solved. These practices also empower the staff because they stop feeling and believing that they are helpless.

In his ground-breaking book, Power vs Force: The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior, David Hawkins, MD, created a list of contrasting word pairs, that he and his team of researchers have calibrated as having positive or weak energy influences. In the list the words on the left are powerful and positive; and those on the right have a negative impact on our energy. Hawkins says that just reading through the list of positive words will help raise the energy vibration and consciousness of the reader.

Here are a few examples. Read both negative and positive words, and compare how you feel with each:

Abundant - Excessive

Allowing - Controlling

Honest - Legal

Carefree - Frivolous

Concerned - Judgmental

Gifted - Lucky

Helpful - Meddling

Impartial - Righteous

Ingenious - Scheming

Praising - Flattering

Honoring - Enshrining

Spontaneous - Impulsive

Experiment with not only reading the list but also using the positive words to describe yourself and others in your verbal and written communications. Notice how your own behavior changes, how your personal and professional relationships shift, and how you feel in your body, mind and spirit.

Let me know what you discover about yourself!