Word Up

Cultural references can be tricky suckers. One of my project colleagues came up to my desk the other day and began to update me on a particular topic with the opening gambit of ‘Word Up’. It was a stylish move, in an 80s retro kind of way, but one which backfired rather badly. Of course, I launched into standard office-style popular culture repartee mode by insisting he could only say that to me if he was wearing a red leather codpiece and it all went downhill from there.
Some sensitive soul sitting nearby was too young to remember the truly cringe-making awfulness of the black leather suit and red codpiece worn by the lead singer of Cameo in the fateful music video of ‘Word Up’ and is still reeling from the seemingly risqué tone of the conversation. I was explaining myself for hours after that one. Having a brain stuffed with trivia can be a surprisingly dangerous thing …

After my close encounter of the codpiece kind, it was intriguing to have another slightly racy word issue crop up in the book I was reading on the weekend, called Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. In it she recounts her tales of overcoming heartbreak by first indulging in pleasure and food (clearly synonymous) in Italy, devotional practice in India and finally a rather curious apprenticeship with a shaman in Indonesia, where she finally finds love (although not with the medicine man, I hasten to add).

While in Italy, she discusses not feeling totally at home in Rome with one of her friends, who replies “Maybe you and Rome just have different words”. He goes on to explain that “every city has a single word that defines it, that identifies most people who live there … and if your personal word does not match the word of the city, then you don’t really belong there”.
Rome’s word, he announces, is “Sex”. “Even over at the Vatican?”, she replies. “That’s different”, he responds. “The Vatican isn’t part of Rome. They have a different word over there. Their word is Power.” As the discussion continues, New York is attributed the word ‘Achieve’, while Los Angeles has ‘Succeed’ and Stockholm gains ‘Conform’. Naples ends up with ‘Fight’.

This is such a delightful and ultimately insightful concept – does your personal word match the word of the city or town you live in? Play with the idea this week. Try to find a word for the place you live in, that encapsulates both the city and the people that inhabit it. Then try to find your own personal word, which in itself will be a very enlightening exercise. If you could choose only one word to embody your very essence, what would it be?

Talk about it, try it on for size, see what your friends think or just keep it as a delicious secret. Find your word and have fun with it. Does it match where you live, where you work and the people you hang out with? What does your word say about you – is it who you are now or a vision of who you want to be? Have a fab time exploring all the nuances of your very own personal word – you never know what it might reveal to you!

Click through to the Coach Fabulous advice column by using the link in the Favourite Sites section on the right or by going to http://coachfabulous.blogspot.com. For alert emails on new postings, email subscribe@iamfabulous.co.uk. To contact me, email coachfabulous@iamfabulous.co.uk. All material © 2007 Alison Porter. No article may be reproduced in full or in part without the express permission of the author. (Originally posted 4 Jun 07)