Bruce Lee - Don’t speak negatively about yourself, even as a joke. Your body doesn’t know the difference. Words are energy and they cast spells—that’s why it’s called spelling. Change the way you speak about yourself, and you can change your life
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Welcome to The Daily Quote – a podcast designed to kickstart your day in a positive way. I’m your host, Andrew McGivern, for May 8th. So today is Reward Yourself Day, which might just be my new favorite holiday. It's that one special day where treating yourself to something nice isn't called "procrastination" or "emotional spending"—it's called celebrating personal growth. You don't need permission, but just in case you were waiting for a sign from the universe, this is it. Go get the snack, take the nap, book the massage—whatever "reward" means to you.
And it is a good time to check in on those goals you set at the beginning of the year. And celebrate the progress and accomplishments you have made so far. And in the spirit of treating yourself well, let’s get into today’s quote from the legendary Bruce Lee, who once said:
“Don’t speak negatively about yourself, even as a joke. Your body doesn’t know the difference. Words are energy and they cast spells—that’s why it’s called spelling. Change the way you speak about yourself, and you can change your life.”
Now, whether or not Bruce Lee actually said this exact quote is debatable—but it sounds like something he’d say right before whipping out the nunchucks and screaming weird animal noises. Bruce had a way of making wisdom sound both poetic and slightly intimidating. This quote hits especially hard on Reward Yourself Day, because the first thing most of us need a break from isn't work or stress—it’s ourselves. More specifically, our own color commentary track. You know the one: the sarcastic inner monologue that says things like, “Oh wow, look at you, really crushing life by remembering to brush your teeth today.” But here's the kicker—your body, your subconscious, it doesn't have a sarcasm detector. It takes your words at face value. So when you say you’re lazy, or a disaster, or a hot mess—even jokingly—your mind files that away like it's gospel truth. Words are energy. And like the quote says, they cast spells.
You're literally shaping your reality every time you talk about yourself. So maybe instead of calling yourself a train wreck with a caffeine addiction, try something like: “I’m an unstoppable machine with exceptional taste in beverages.”
Today, your reward doesn’t have to be chocolate or champagne. It can be as simple as choosing better words. Not just to others—but to yourself. Speak like someone who deserves love, because you do. Speak like someone who’s on their way up, because you are.
That's it for now...
I'm Andrew McGivern, signing off for today, but I'll be back tomorrow so I will - same pod time, same pod station for another Daily Quote.