Have you ever noticed how most of us have canned responses loaded and ready to the question “How are you doing?”
Fine. I’m okay. Awesome. Today was a horrible day.
Responses quickly become conditioned and habitual and have a way of becoming self-fulfilling prophecies.
Most of the time, “How are you doing?” is nothing more than a formality, and I think it’s fair to say askers are not expecting an essay on the existential musings of a wistful summer breeze.
Occasionally, though, you get a response that’s a little out of the ordinary.
Whenever I asked my naturopath how he was doing, he would inevitably respond with “I’m always good.”
That’s different!
As I got to know him better, I began to see that he was very intentional with his language. He would say “sadness” in place of “depression.” Most of us are quick to label our feelings as depression, but in his world, depression indicated a serious medical condition, so he wasn’t one to casually throw around a term like that.
He also beat cancer using his methodologies. Let that sink in.
So, I thought to myself…
As someone who’s studied the power of words and has even given presentations on the topic (see below), shouldn’t I also be mindful of the words I speak into existence?
Almost without fail, my response to “How are you doing?” is now “I’m always good.”
And that’s why I’m always good.
