Harnessing The Power of Your Words

Harnessing The Power of  Your Words

Our words hold a tremendous amount of power and weight. Harnessing the power of our words is more important today than ever. What we say can create an everlasting impact on our lives and on the lives of people around us. 

I think we can all relate to feeling self-conscious at some point as a kid, teen or even as an adult… Comments about the way others look, talk, dress, etc.… can impact people’s confidence for days, years and even an entire lifetime. This goes to show how powerful words can be and the impact they can have on our lives.

I remember one time when my boy was in pre-school. He had a favorite Winnie the Pooh and Tigger t-shirt that he wore it ALL THE TIME. One day I noticed he hadn’t worn his favorite shirt in a week… So I decided to pull it out so he could wear it to school that day.

When he saw the shirt, he immediately asked me if he could wear something else. It was odd, but when I insisted he started to cry… I did not understand what had happened. Then he told me that two other kids made fun of him for wearing that shirt and they called him a BABY! He was 4 years old… He was a baby! I still call him “Baby” to this day… It was not the word Baby that bothered him… It was his peers saying it and how they said it that triggered him… He never wore that shirt again.

Words have power and weight and how we choose to speak and the type of words we use can make a huge difference.

Harnessing the power of your words has never been more important than today.

Thanks to technology, we can speak to people via text, email, or even through social media.

Although this is a fantastic way of communication, we need to keep in mind that texts, emails, and messages can be grossly misinterpreted. We are unable to hear the tone of voice, see the person’s face, and feel the intentions behind the words.

Being mindful of our words can help us connect with the listener/reader in a deeper way because…

• Mindful speech is meant to build people up and not tear them down. We can inspire, empower and even support people or we can tear them down with our speech. We can find ways to provide constructive feedback or even make our point without tearing someone else down.
• Mindful speech is timely. Saying the right thing at the right time. Practicing discernment and compassion is extremely important. The right words spoken at the wrong time can be just as painful as saying the wrong words or worse yet, words that were not spoken that all. Spoken words can leave an everlasting effect as well. Listen deeply; acknowledge the other person’s feelings and what they are saying. [tweetthis]Mindful speech that is timely and compassionate can mean the world to someone.[/tweetthis]
• Mindful speech is gracious, supportive, provides hope and it’s a confidence builder. Think of Martin Luther Kings “I Have a Dream” speech. It has all three components and even though it is over 50 years old, it perpetually inspires people.

Cultivating Mindfulness

• Start a meditation practice 
• Practice yoga
• Journal
• Think before you speak
• Be fully present in the moment 

My question to you is: how will you harness the power of your words today?