No Gossip!
This is week 1 of the Inner Mean Girl Cleanse and our challenge this week is to give up gossip. Wow! This is tougher than I imagined. I’m not happy to say that. I pride myself on not speaking badly about other people. What this has taught me is that I don’t necessarily have to be the one who is starting the gossip. If I participate at all, I am still gossiping. Yuk!!!
Here is what I have learned: Gossip takes many forms. Eliminating ALL forms is the goal. Do any of these sound familiar to you?
* Being the Gossip: Talking or writing about a person who is not part of the conversation in such a way that either: they would feel bad hearing what you said or you wouldn’t want them to hear what you said.
* Colluding in Gossip: Adding commentary and thoughts to a conversation or communication that create gossip. Gossip takes at least two – decline the invitation to join in!
* Witnessing Gossip: Standing by and listening to other people gossip still lets the toxin seep in. Take a stand for good talk or leave the conversation.
* Watching Gossip: Tuning into any form of media that promotes or shows gossip. Just because you don’t know the people doesn’t mean you’re not gossiping! If you find yourself watching or listening to gossip (yes even celebrity gossip!) change the channel. Rather than picking up the tabloid in the grocery line, grab Yoga Journal or read Aspire on your iphone.
So, did you see yourself in any of the above? I’m guessing the answer is “yes”. I know I am guilty. It’s one thing to practice not being the gossip. It’s another to keep yourself away from it entirely. I have more work to do!
So how can we work towards eliminating this toxin from our lives? One way is to create a daily practice. The creators of the Inner Mean Girl Cleanse put it this way:
“Be impeccable with your word.”
Start your day by saying this affirmation for at least one minute: “Today I speak only from my heart. I leave gossip and toxic words behind. I truly speak only from my heart.”
Live your entire day aware of your words, and choose Good Talk over Gossip.
What is good talk?
It’s the SELF LOVE ANTIDOTE to gossip:
We call it Good Talk. Others call it right speech, being impeccable with your word, speaking in integrity…same idea. The common idea is that words matter… and that means that you have a choice of every word you let out of your mouth.
Speak about others as you would like to be spoken of. How would you want to be spoken about if it was you that were being talked about.
Have clean motivations and intentions. What is the motivation behind what you are saying? If it’s not from a good place, stop talking or change your words.
Lift others up, never tear them down. Inner Mean Girls (IMGs) love to gossip because it makes them feel better. Don’t do it. Instead make an effort to say things this week that lifts others up. And while celebrity gossip may make your IMG feel great for a minute, it’s better to avoid any media that drags others down.
Be a leader, change the conversation. If you find yourself being invited or tempted into gossip, instead choose words that change the energy. Invite the other person into Good Talk. Try something like, “You know what I love about ______” or “I feel a lot of compassion for _____”.
So who is with me on this? Who will take this challenge? How could this change your business??? No beating yourself up if you’ve been participating in gossip up until now. We move forward from hear, supporting each other and practicing self love!
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