The One About Fainting
Join me for a powerful exploration of the influence of language in our lives in this special, debut edition of “Skip’s Quips.”
Today, I share a wisdom lesson that highlights the profound impact words can have on our bodies and minds. A seemingly innocent phrase once caused me to faint in my doctor’s office. This incident underscores how words can trigger intense physical reactions, from fear to laughter. By sharing this experience, I hope to illustrate the incredible influence words wield, not only in causing fear but also in creating positive outcomes.
In addition to this personal tale, we explore the broader implications of our language choices. Words have the power to either uplift or deflate us—and those around us. As you head into the coming week, I challenge you to reflect on how your words might affect others. Whether it’s offering encouragement to a friend, family member, or teammate, remember that your words hold significant power. Let’s harness the power of words to shape our experiences and reactions positively.
Where’s the Special Guest and What’s a “Skip’s Quip?”
We are doing something a little different. I’ll be sharing a wisdom lesson with you—but there won’t be a guest. Just me, sharing wisdom. A short wisdom lesson – about 9 minutes total. We plan to do these about six times a year. We’re calling these special editions – “Skip’s Quips.”
Don’t worry, we will still bring you wisdom conversations with our special guests twice a month. Additionally, you will receive “Skip’s Quips” to supplement to our regular wisdom programming. Let us know what you think, and please share your feedback. You can do that via SpeakPipe.
Credits
Editor + Technical Advisor Bob Hotchkiss
Brand + Strategy Advisor Andy Malinoski
PR + Partnerships Advisor Rachel Bell
Marketing, Social Media and Graphic Design Chloe Lineberg
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Episode Chapters
[0:01:58] – Fainting in the doctor’s office
[0:03:37] – Background on the reason for the trip to the doctor
[0:05:00] – A fateful three-word phrase; physical + emotional trigger
[0:06:00] – The power of words; encouraging words from a best friend
Keywords
Power of Words, Language, Impact, Physical Reactions, Emotional State, Reflection, Encouragement, Wisdom, Mindful, Positive Outcomes, Language Choices, Spread Positivity, Personal Story, Fight-or-Flight Responses, Uplift, Influence, Significant Difference, Language Potential, Emotional Impact, Mind and Body Connection, Fainting
Transcript of This Episode
0:00:00 – Announcer
Wisdom. It’s an incredibly valuable asset, some would say more precious than gold. It’s attractive, appealing, admirable. Conversely, a lack of wisdom is the basis of immaturity, blind spots and bad decisions. Wisdom, it can be gained over time, but it can’t be rushed. But wisdom can be shared. That’s precisely what we are here to do right now. Today. We are here to hack wisdom, to distill it, to understand it and to process it. Why? To get better at life. Welcome to the Main Thing.
This is your new nine-minute podcast. I’m your host, Skip Lineberg, and I’ve set out to interview the wisest people I know. We’ll see what we can learn from each one when they’re faced with an incredibly difficult, soul-piercing question.
0:00:59 – Skip Lineberg
Hey, this is Skip, your host, and it’s always great to welcome you back here to this place of wisdom, learning and personal growth. Our little learning space. And I’m honored to share it with you each and every time.
Today, we’re doing something a little different. I’ll be sharing a wisdom lesson with you, but there won’t be a guest. Just me, sharing wisdom. A short wisdom lesson of—you guessed it, about nine minutes. So we’re calling these special editions “Skip’s Quips.”
Don’t worry, we’ll still bring you wisdom conversations with our special wise guests twice a month, just like always. think you’ll find these “Skip’s Quips” a nice complement to our regular wisdom programming.
We’ll plan to do these about six times a year, about every other month, and that’s just extra wisdom for you. So for now, get ready for this debut episode of Skip’s Quips.
0:01:57 – Skip
Buckle up, because I’ve got quite the tale to share with you today. It’s a story of feting spells, doctor’s offices and the surprising power of words.
I was at my doctor’s today for my annual physical exam, and I couldn’t help but remember this story from 10 years ago.
That was the day I woke up in my doctor’s office, folded forward in my chair In the exam room, someone was tapping my cheek lightly. “Mr Lineberg, Mr Lineberg? Skip, hello.”
As my field of vision rekindled and expanded, I saw my primary care doctor moving in from my left. He reached under my shoulder to pull me upright into the exam chair and the cheek tapper. Well, that was his nurse, darlene, standing in front of me, about an arm’s length to my right. Coming back to coherence, I began to hear my doc saying to Darlene, “Let’s hold off on that procedure. I think he’s done for the day. Let’s just refer him out to a dermatologist.”
You see, I had lost consciousness, fainted.
What caused me to faint? Well, the culprit was an innocent three-word phrase, three plain words. I’m not proud of it, mind you,
But it’s a testament to the sheer power of language. You know, words can trigger all sorts of reactions in our bodies if we think about it: fight or flight, laughter, sadness, joy, surprise, and apparently even fainting. Who knew!
So what caused my brain to send signals down my vagus nerve, to escalate my breathing, produce a lovely cold sweat across my upper body and double my heart rate in a matter of a millisecond? I’ll get to that in a moment.
0:03:38 – Skip
A bit of background for context. Those of you over the age of 40, maybe you’ve noticed that your body suddenly begins to adorn itself with these lovely, brown spots. First comes brown spot number one, and it’s a bit of a shock. Then, after time, there’s more than you care to count.
Typically I don’t think much of these spots. However, one Saturday about this time of year we had just come back from a summer beach trip and I noticed, like this almond-shaped brown patch on my left shoulder as I was looking in the bathroom mirror that morning, and it was suspiciously darker and bigger than those other sunspots. My wife Lisa took a look at it, and she said, “Babe, I think you should have that looked at by your doctor. Let’s just be on the safe side.”
So of course I went to Google, like we all do, and searched frantically, looking for what this could be. And now I’m familiar with terms like keratosis and basal cell. Fun times, let me tell you.
So, eventually, off to the doctor’s office, I went, where I found myself perched in that infamous exam chair waiting for some answers,
And boy did I get them! After a quick once-over, the doctor drops the bomb.
“Darlene, I’d like you to prepare Mr Lineberg for a straight razor excision.”
Next, the doc said something like, “Skip, we’re just going to take that patch off with the razor, right here, right now … in the office.”
All I could hear was that three-word phrase, straight razor excision, echoing inside my mind as if someone had shouted it into a canyon. “Razor, razor, razor. Excision, excision, excision.”
The cascade of thoughts began to swirl, thoughts of a razor blade or a box cutter knife and blood.
Then went my vision—bright, white, ultra bright, hot, hot white, bright light. Long story short, that’s when I fainted, right then and there.
Not my finest moment, I’ll admit it. But here’s the kicker: it turns out that ominous brown patch wasn’t cancerous after all. A few weeks and a gentle biopsy later, and I was in the clear. It’s funny how things work out, isn’t it?
But enough about me and my fainting spells. Let’s talk about the real star of the show—words. You see, words have power. They can shock us, move us, even trigger involuntary reactions in our bodies. My little escapade in Doc’s office is proof of that.
Nevertheless, I still love words, as you know, partly because words also have the power to effectuate positive outcomes and results.
Take, for example, a conversation I had with my close friend, Andy, about a year ago. My family was knee-deep in a health crisis with my son, and I was on the verge of losing hope.
Andy had been a best friend, a stalwart of support. Our conversations were a great mix of learning, laughter and encouragement.
But on this one dreary December day, much to my surprise, Andy blurted out, ”Skip, we need you to be okay, buddy. We need you to be okay!”
That six-word phrase was pure, unfiltered truth. People were depending on me. It was no time for me to wallow in self-pity or slide into depression. There would be time later to process the pain and the sadness to reflect and to heal. But now was not that time. My son needed me, and so did my family and friends. It was tough love that Andy brought with those six powerful words: we need you to be okay.
Andy’s words snapped me out of something. Major, positive words that brought me back into a mindset of power, strength, confidence and resolve.
Perhaps unwittingly, Andy had set an intention for me. Whatever the case, it worked.
I found the strength to forge ahead, to lead, to care for others. Good thing, too, since the journey would continue on for many more months.
Now today, my son Sherman has regained his health. Any day now he’s able to get up in the morning and do just about anything he chooses. That is a great gift, that’s a huge blessing, and praise God!
It’s moments like these that remind me of the incredible impact words can have. They can deflate us, they can make us fold over at the waist, unconscious, fainted in a doctor’s chair.
But by the same token, words can lift us up. Words can bring us to our knees. Or words can propel us forward.
So, as you head into the week ahead, I challenge you to consider the power of your words.
Who can you uplift? Who needs to hear a word of encouragement, whether it’s a friend, family member or a teammate?
Just remember that your words have the power to make a difference.
I’ll catch you next time, guys.
0:08:19 – Announcer
Wow, that goes by incredibly fast, doesn’t it? Time flies when you’re hacking wisdom. I hope you’re left wanting more. Sync up with us again next time. On The Main Thing, for nine more minutes of wisdom.
Transcribed by https://podium.page
