Words are very powerful. Powerful enough to make or break, uplift or destroy, build life or “imprison” someone. Powerful enough to either motivate or devastate someone. They can be beautiful; they can be best friends or dreaded enemies. They often impact people for years, providing either the courage to keep moving on or one more reason to give up. The profound power of words can build or damage everything from a relationship to a business. Sadly, one of the biggest errors that people often make is to think that words are merely symbolic to explain things. We often forget that a word spoken cannot be summoned back or swallowed up. The damage is done.
The power of words
Sometimes, words as simple as, “How was your day?” can show you are interested and ready to listen. It can symbolize your willingness to be present with someone else’s thoughts and feelings and that in itself is a great sentiment. Because in todays’ age it’s hard to ask someone about their day & about their life and it’s harder to listen and be there if they’re having a bad day. Be it a mother’s lullaby, a politician’s speech, a love letter from your beloved, or a complaint against someone, any feeling in the world, any emotion, any reaction will not have any meaning until it is expressed in words. Just say the word “fire” in a crowded theatre, and you’ll get different but powerful emotional reactions. Look at all the leaders, bad or good — Mahatma Gandhi, Stalin, Martin Luther King, Churchill, & Nelson Mandela. Millions of people followed them. What was the driving force? Apart from leadership skills, it was their speeches that influenced masses to follow their lead.
A double-edged sword
It is important that you choose the words that you speak or write carefully because they have the potential of accomplishing nearly anything or destroying nearly anything. We tend to hang onto positive or negative comments like lifelines. Think of it like playing chess; your every move has repercussions. Just one harsh comment can ruin a person’s entire day. A few might even ruin the person’s entire life. Do you remember that girl you called fat in school? You could have laughed it off, but guess what, she didn’t and she’s now anorexic. That boy you called dumb — he’s hospitalised. Why? Because he tried committing suicide a few minutes ago. See what a few words can do? They do much more than sticks and stones. On the other side, powerful, positive, and beautiful words can heal and uplift. When spoken with truth and conviction, words breathe life into business ideas and motivate people to action. One positive and encouraging comment can be just enough to increase employee engagement, create healthier work culture and make more of a difference in an individual’s life than you will ever know.
Words cause the most impact in relationships.
We have the tendency of clinging on to words. Words can make anything withstand the test of time. Have you ever wondered why couples who are in a romantic relationship seem the happiest? It is neither looks nor touch that keeps them glued together, but it is those words they say to each other which makes them feel good and positive, until the point where that one unkind word is uttered which tears down relationship. So choose words wisely. Life is too short to give clarification on your regrets after hurting someone with your words. Ask yourself now. When was the last time you someone’s words echoed in your mind?
Raise your words, not your voice.
For more than a decade, technology has brought words into our lives more than ever before. No longer are words just what we hear, write or read — they have become what we create and how we interact with the world around us. Words are like bricks and each brick has the same value. With bricks you build a house, if you have fewer bricks you end up building a smaller house. Keep quiet if you’re not going to use constructive words. At the end of the day, the choice is in your hands: to use words to complain or to appreciate; to tear down people’s dreams or to raise them; to speak in anger or to speak kindness.
Words are free. It’s how you use them that may cost you. So choose your words wisely. Treat words with respect.