The idea of owning your language is more than just noticing what you say. It is noticing what words you use to say it, what other effects your words could have, and what your words reflect about your internal state.

Recently a friend was feeling under the weather and she said “I am sick.” A few days later when I started to feel less than 100% I said “I am fighting off the sniffles.”

Notice the difference. She was willing to identify herself as “sick” whereas I made an active statement of what I was avoiding. She was out of circulation for a while. I was running out of kleenex but progressing through my days with a minor inconvenience.

Did the difference in language cause the difference in down time? I don’t know.
Did my body react more favorably in “fighting” than if I had owned the [potential] illness? I believe so.
How could I improve the statement? Instead of focusing on what I do not want (the sniffles) I can focus on what I do want (staying well).

Is the glass half full or half empty?
Will you be sick or fight to stay healthy?
Who owns your language if not you?