Start Eradicating Your Bad News Today and Every Day

The Bad News Eradicator is designed to help you eliminate using defensive words and negative phrases in your speech and writing. Keep this document on your phone. Collect your own set of habitual negative phrases and words. List them on the sheet, then create their positive equivalent and get a whole new life. The goal is to create a positive phrase that has the same or fewer words than the negative phrase.

Why eradicate bad language? Two powerful reasons.

1. Positive language improves:

• Your understandability
• Your credibility
• Your integrity
• Your leadership
• All your relationships

All of which are up to you. Every day.

2. Positive language ensures that you will be:

• Understood
• Obeyed
• Credible
• Believable
• More powerful

This discipline constantly and relentlessly translates negative language into the power of positive speech or writing. Whenever you have a moment, simply work through the list and develop equivalent positive phrases for each negative phrase. There are many ways to accomplish this. Sometimes a negative phrase has a half dozen or more positive equivalent options. The goal is to eradicate the negativity and gain a whole new power over your life, and the lives of others.

Get in the habit of jotting down your negative words and phrases, translate them and add them to this collection for future reference and to share with colleagues, coworkers, and bosses.

1. “Are not limited to . . .  ”	“Include, among others . . .  ”
2. “Are not associated with . . .  ”	“Are separate from . . .  ”
3. “Are not necessarily indicative.”
4. “Do not include . . .  ”	“Only include . . .  ”
5. “Does not require . . .  ”	“Only requires . . .  ”
6. “Does not exceed . . .  ”	“Only exceeds when . . .  ”
7. “Does not occur . . .  ”	“What occurs is . . .  ”
8. “Don’t hesitate to call.”	“Please call.”
9. “Doesn’t hurt to ask.”	“Asking is helpful.”
10. “Don’t worry, he won’t care.”	“What he cares about is . . .  ”

1. Look for more bad news eradication conversions in upcoming blog posts.
2. Happy to add your favorites to the list.
3. Send your indispensable negatives, and I’ll suggest a useful, positive alternative.
4. This small step will make a major change for the better in your life, and those who know you.

©2026, James E. Lukaszewski. Contact the copyright holder at jel@e911.com for information and reproduction permissions. Editing or excerpting is forbidden.