Phrases You Should Never Use At Work or Anywhere

Much like building your career, building a successful life both in and outside of the office is a difficult task. In order to truly succeed, you must take a proactive approach to achieving your goals. The following phrases are things that you should never say, as they will work to crush your hopes, dreams and goals.

1. Someday
Someday gives the sense that you’ll get around to it when you get around to it. It’s not a priority in your life. Therefore, it is never going to get accomplished. Today, tomorrow, next week and next year are always going to take priority over someday. People always have an impressive list of hopes and dreams. But when you ask them about them, a common reply is, “Someday, I’ll travel the world.” News flash, someday will never come. Instead, try using very time specific descriptions to express your goals and dreams. It will turn it from a hope into a reality.

2. Willpower
Dr. BJ Fogg of Stanford Persuasive Technology Lab gives good advice when it comes to avoiding this word. He says, “Imagine willpower doesn’t exist. That’s step number one to a better future.” Willpower isn’t a gene that you either acquire at birth or you don’t. Your genes determine things like eye color, not whether you’ll make healthy choices for your life. Stop excusing yourself. You picked the dessert because you wanted it, not because you lacked some sort of power to refuse. Own that, and you’ll be one step closer to changing yourself for the better.

3. I Don’t Have the Time
Fact of the matter, you have time for your priorities. You have time to work out. After all, you have time to watch an hour of television, surf the web and laze around the house after work. So, yes, you do have time to spend an hour of that time at the gym. Hard truth? You don’t want to spend and hour at the gym. Nothing necessarily wrong with that. The wrong comes from not owning it. You have the time for what you want to have time for, the end.

4. It’s Not the Right Time
As a close cousin to “someday” and “I don’t have the time” comes the famous “It’s not the right time.” Really? Are you waiting for a light shining down from the heavens? Writing on the wall? Shift your thinking from waiting to action. Get started. It’s the right time.