Whether you're at work or with friends, these four words have been known to carry a negative connotation both on what's being said and how others hear/ understand that message. I've been guilty of saying them all. But since I've become more conscience of how these words affect my life, I've done my best to remove them from my vocabulary. Let me know your thoughts and if there are any others that should be added to this list. 

1 - Just

"I'm just going to the store." "Just make sure it's done by tomorrow morning." "Just emailing to say..." All of these examples tend to minimize the message that's conveyed. When someone is just emailing to follow up, etc., the email loses its importance and becomes less pressing. It's just an email follow up. It's just something that's due by tomorrow morning. Instead, take out this word from your vocabulary and your sentences will feel and become much more prominent. 

2 - Try

Whether we're conscience of it or not, the word "try" gives us the leeway to back out of something that we said we might do. "Try your hardest." "I'll try to get this back to your by 5pm." Instead, if you were to say "do your hardest" or "I"ll get this back to your by 5pm," the message becomes something that will absolutely get done. Tryinfers that it's okay if this particular something doesn't get accomplished. 

3 - Sorry 

I'm definitely guilty of this. As humans, we naturally feel the need to over apologize. We'll even say sorry for things we don't need to apologize for. And when we do this, it can actually weaken our confidence or the way others see and respect us. There has to be a healthy amount of the word "sorry." When an honest apology is due, that's good. But when someone constantly feels the need to say this word, it can actually signal a red flag - especially in a professional setting. 

4 - Like

Unless comparing, the word "like" can dumb down a sentence. Very similar to "sorry," this can especially create a negative tone in the work place. "She said that, like, our best course of action is...". Although this is a filler similar to um and uh, "like" carries an immature presence. When said, it can both distract from the message and lessen the value of what is being talked about. 

It takes practice to actively not say these four words. But that can be a good thing - it means filtering what we say more, and there's nothing wrong with that. Removing these from my vocabulary (to my best ability) has encourage me to be more articulate, proactive, and confident. What would you add to this list?