Words are expressed in many different ways. Some soothe like a warm summer breeze, others cut like a knife without mercy. Some are like the wind which comes and goes, others stay etched in our minds forever. Some build us up and others tear us down.
What are the words you repeat mentally every day?
Do they encourage you to try harder and carry on, or to throw in the towel and give up?
It’s ironic but the word we hear most as a child (and many times as an adult) is the word “no.” It’s almost impossible to find a parent anywhere in the world who doesn’t use it with some frequency to reprimand their children. Nevertheless, think about it for a moment. What is the message we give to a child when we repeatedly tell him or her that they can’t do something? Are we are conditioning them create obstacles in their path or encouraging them to overcome difficulty to reach their full potential?
Following, a couple of ideas regarding the use of words:
Choose your words carefully when speaking and writing, but perhaps even more so when you are thinking. While we have all seen the damage spoken and written words can cause, not so obvious is why to be cautious with the words we use in our “internal conversations.” From the time we wake up in the morning, the person we generally speak with the most is ourself. Since this is the case, use words that empower you to open the doors of opportunity, rather than those that castrate your every ability. The words we use create the people we will become.
Learn to listen to others. The words others use when they talk are based on their interpretation of the world. They are neither more or less valid than ours, they are simply an expression of their reality. As such, it isn’t necessary to try to convince others we are right, because in their minds they already are. By paying attention and listening carefully to the words others use, we can better understand what motivates them, and besides, paying attention to others is one of the most valuable gifts we can give them.
Words form an important part of existence and they are with us wherever we go. With them we can build fantastic castles where there was previously nothing, or we can cause the same to come tumbling down. The language we use daily creates the reality we live eventually. Use words wisely to leave love and prosperity in your wake.
∞ Rob McBride ∞
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