TERMINOLOGY MIRRORS PERCEPTION

Change is here.
February 2023 marks 7 years of change. We began our journey outside the boarders of our home-country.
As I started writing this, I initially used the word ‘abroad’ (‘we moved abroad’) and then realized that it is no longer valid for me. Same applies for the word ‘left’. I didn’t ‘leave’, but simply ‘traveled’ or ‘moved away’ with no end-date or closure. There’s a huge difference in perception of my own reality writing “we left Israel” or “we moved to Cayman”.
Terminology has changed for me. Other words have changed meaning such as, ‘belonging’ and ‘home’. Definitions of identity – I was never defined as ‘white’ until I started living in cultures that use color as racial statements. ‘White’ was a color of paint, paper’ clothes, flowers, but not definition of status.
‘Change’ held mainly professional denotation, as I identified myself as an Organizational Development specialist and constantly supported companies’ change processes. Now ‘change’ has lost all power. It became a life routine with no ghostly grip oven me.
People used to say that I am ‘brave’ and I couldn’t relate to their perception of my decisions. For me it was ‘living’ for them I was ‘courageous’.
The words we use represent our perception of reality. It is our way of defining ourselves and our world. There’s no more ‘abroad’ for me. There are names of countries I lived in or travelled to, but there’s no distinct notion of living boundaries.
Which words are you using as you define your reality?
Try this  – Write down a short paragraph or two that describe your life in the past 10 years. Now reread it. Which words stand out?