Word Challenge
Today’s Word Challenge - Choose a word where changing the last two letters makes the exact opposite of the first word.
Don’t worry – there is NO right or wrong! If you want to go a little deeper in the challenge – pick a word that addresses your current physical, mental or spiritual state and change the word to what you want your current state to BE. GO FOR IT! I will wait.
My word is PASSIVE – where if you change the VE with ON you get PASSION. Why you may ask did I come up with this combination? Well it continues to express my current emotional state. I want to have energy, action, intensity – or PASSION. Instead, I feel the exact opposite – PASSIVE.
I did a quick Google search on the definition of PASSIVITY and I got “the state or condition of being passive.” Now, doesn’t that violate the Definition Rule from 7th grade English class – you cannot use the word in the definition. In looking a little further, I found 2 definitions – one addressing chemistry and one addressing psychology and emotions. Let us leave the chemical definition for another time – ok?
I like this definition of PASSIVITY: acceptance of what happens, without active response or resistance, from the Oxford on-line dictionary. Vocabulary.com says PASSIVITY is allowing others to do things to you without complaining or pushing back. Looking at synonyms or similar words for PASSIVE– you see LAID-BACK, QUIET, UNFLAPPABLE. While good words, they do not capture my current PASSIVE feelings – I would use APATHETIC, LETHARGIC, RESIGNED, SUBMISSIVE. I picture a bear in a state of torpidity, curled up in a dormant state of low heart and breathing rate to slumber through a harsh winter. I do not know about you, but I am TIRED of feeling tired!
Ok, so what is the opposite of PASSIVE? ACTIVE, ASSERTIVE - PASSIONATE. Yeah – I like that, I want that! I listed to a TED talk on-line yesterday by Mel Robbins, the author of The 5 Second Rule – and she talked about activation energy, the force needed to move from inactive to active. She challenged the audience to set your alarm, get out of bed, and do something…anything. I can “proudly” say that I am writing this at 5:30AM – which, if you know me, is a foreign time for me. I can say it feels good – to have time to put my thoughts together and make a plan of ACTION for today, before the whirlwind of life takes over and I get swept along for the ride.
The 4 Disciplines of Execution book by Covey, McHesney and Huling says “the whirlwind of day-to-day activity can suck up attention and make it difficult to focus or make any progress on your strategic priorities.” They also say that “focusing on everything can stop you from achieving your overall strategic aim.” For me, this is true. The whirlwind of life without goals overwhelms me and, unfortunately, takes me off the path of living with passion.
Your Challenge: I’m curious what words you came up with AND what decisions you have made to make this day YOUR day – the kind of day YOU want.