VIBE HIGH: Instead of "Sorry," say "Thank you." Instead of "You're so Lucky," say this
Two Useful Language Lessons from Dutch travellers I met this week. First, they told me there's no word in Dutch for "Sorry" and asked why people use that word in English so much. I have to admit that I don't really know WHY people use it. It's so passive-aggressive, quite often, or self-effacing... it often just brings the energy of everything lower. Some years ago I did a prolonged experiment of saying "Sorry" or "Thank you" when people stepped aside from me on the narrow bike/walking paths in Nova Scotia. If you say "sorry" the energy comes down. They're obliged to stop their conversation and say "oh, it's alright." Nobody has any fun with that. But when you say "thank you," they smile, they might say "you're welcome," they feel that their effort was appreciated by you, and the energy goes up. ***So. Rule 1. Say Thank you Instead of Sorry!!*** The second thing I learned was this: in...