At a board meeting I attended this week, there was a statement made about the well-spoken word. It got me thinking, as a writer and a speaker, I am well-aware of the well-spoken word in delivering a message. It needs to be clear, concise, and yet powerful in ways nothing else is. Between friends it needs to be impeccable. Even humor can destroy or build up. What’s your intent?
When you think about the power of your words:
- To a child, a negative response can destroy their sense of self-worth for life.
- To an adult, your kind or brutal words can end a marriage, or strengthen it.
- To a business owner, your feedback can make or destroy a career or a business.
- To an employee, your words can generate loyalty or disgust.
- To a sick person, your words of hope can change a prognosis.
- To a lonely person in the market, a kind word can change their day or even their week.
Everyone of us is infinitely powerful in the lives of another, even a stranger, solely because of the power of our word. Imagine the weight and the responsibility that carries.
Are your words filled with integrity? Commitment? Honesty? Loyalty? Charity? Kindness?
Are they filled with anger, rage, or love? My clients who believe I “hold their heart while I kick their ass.” Are saying: “I feel your unconditional love in your words, even when you are confronting me with myself.”
Any situation, any circumstance can call for a stern, soft, kind, or powerful response. However, every one of them needs to be filled with unconditional love. So frequently, you hear someone say: “I wish I could take that back.” You can’t…
Our words reflect what is in our heart, what is in our soul, and what is in our head at that moment in which they are spoken. Make sure you want them remembered before you ever say them.
It took me a long while but eventually I got it that saying everything that popped into my head was not my smartest move. That wasn’t always honest either because on occasion they didn’t at all reflect my beliefs, only my reaction to a situation. Once I thought about it, those words may have come from fear, anger, or hurt, but they were not my honest truth, only my wound speaking out, not me.
In living your best life, you are living your best self; be it humorous, profound, sad, curious, confused, or even outrageous, it is your best self. May your words always reflect that part of you. It is your gift to you and to your world!
