I hate empty phrases
An empty phrase is a phrase that someone uses to dress up emotion. There is no substance behind it, just a place where something like an excuse can kick back, relax, and spare someone’s ego the hassle of doing something that it doesn’t want to do. It’s a way to make an excuse sound plausible.
They usually come out charged and passionate. When you take a look at them, their emptiness appears, and you realize that you just heard a hot pile of nothing.
One of the empty phrases I hear most often is “It’s easier said than done.” I heard it because I often said it.
I turn it on myself first
I used to say it a lot. It rolls off the tongue. It felt accepted because it’s the first rationalization I can think of. It changes the conversation in a subtle way. What started off as a creative conversation begins to move into the world of “why not” instead of “why.”
I recognized the phrase as an out. Subconsciously, it felt safe. What I later came to realize is that the reason it felt safe is because I used it to shield myself from the mental and emotional labor that comes from something that might not work. If I sensed failure, I would turn try to turn it away with word tricks from my subconscious trying to shield itself from the fear.
That mental and emotional labor is usually the hardest part because you put your ego on the line. Victory is hard to quantify.
Words matter so don’t let them change you
It’s on my hated phrase/word list because what we say and how we say things matter. There is no communication path faster from thought to speech (sometimes we can’t even stop ourselves). The phrase “easier said than done” is a way to deflect from the work that needs doing. If you find yourself thinking that, or even saying it, take a minute when you can, and get to the real reason. It will make you more effective.
From the desk of Adam Thomas 