Why Your Language Reveals Everything

A few weeks ago I had coffee with a lawyer who specializes in SaaS businesses. Super smart guy.

He has founded a couple of companies himself and works with other successful SaaS founders as legal counsel.

After our meeting, he mentioned candidly to me:

“Just wanted to let you know that during our conversation I picked up on a couple of things from the way you spoke about your business. I noticed you seem unsure about what you’re creating. Certain things you said make it seem like you’re unsure about the probability of success.”

Wow. Gut punch.

I thought I was projecting confidence!

I thought my mindset was rock solid! I have read so many books, listened to every podcast, and truly understand the importance of belief and mindset.

But that’s not enough.

Understanding at an intellectual level is not the same as truly believing at a subconscious level.

Apparently, I had doubt leaking through from my subconscious into the words I was using.

The scary part is that if a stranger could pick up on this from one conversation, what was I unconsciously communicating to my colleagues, potential customers, and even my family?

The words that betrayed me

Here are the words he picked up on:

Things like “trying to build…”, “hopefully this works…”, and “maybe people will want this…”.

These are words and phrases that I thought were just humble, but actually ended up screaming doubt and uncertainty.

He was right, of course.

I was overwhelmed - juggling 3 kids, a full-time job, and building DealWave. But instead of owning these challenges with confidence, I was unconsciously hedging my bets.

The mindset shift

Here’s what I’m doing to build unshakeable conviction:

1. Daily evidence collection - Write down 3 wins every day, no matter how small. Track measurable progress on DealWave, and keep a “proof file” of positive feedback.

2. Language audit - Pay attention when talking about DealWave and use declarative statements instead of hedge words. Record myself giving a pitch with conviction, not hope.

3. Get witnesses - Join a community of founders. Find a coach who’s been where I’m going, and surround myself with people who believe.

I discovered that the brain needs proof that things ARE working, not hope that it MIGHT work.

What this means for you

Take a hard look at how you talk about your biggest goals.

Are you using these hedge words like, “I’m trying to…”, “I hope this works…”, or “Maybe I can…”?

OR are you saying things like, “I’m building…”, “This will work because…”, “People need this, and here’s why…”?

Your words don’t just communicate to others, they program your reality.

Here’s a challenge: Record yourself explaining your biggest goal for 5 minutes, then listen back. What do you hear? Be honest. Conviction or doubt?

The people around you—customers, friends, investors, even your family—pick up on this stuff unconsciously. So, make sure you’re programming confidence, not uncertainty.

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What I’m Building This Week: Working on DealWave’s outbound sales strategy and booking customer discovery calls. My dev team is working on the ARV (After Repair Value) calculation algorithm for the Speed Check feature.

Tool I’m Using: Notion for journaling and founder identity and extremely necessary self-awareness work.

Quote That’s Stuck With Me:“Conviction is how you enroll people in your dream and vision.” - Omeed, The SaaS Business Lawyer

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Hit reply and tell me: What’s one goal you talk about with hedge language? Let’s fix it.

Building with conviction,

David

P.S. If this resonated, forward it to another founder who needs the reminder. We’re all in this together.