All words have meaning, whether positive or negative. Each and everything we say has an impact on the world we live in. While tone and body language are important, in this post I will specifically dive into the particular words that we use in and over our lives.
There was an experiment done on two different plants years ago. One plant was spoken to with encouragement such as, “You’re beautiful,” “You’re doing great,” and “You make me so happy.” The other plant was spoken to discouragingly with statements such as, “You’re so ugly,” “I hate you,” and “You’re disgusting.” Surprisingly, both plants responded to the way they were spoken! The plant that was given positive and encouraging words thrived while the one spoken to with disdain withered away. Check out this video on Youtube here.
While these are great tips for developing a green thumb, this is also a great lesson for the way we speak to ourselves and others. God tells us in the Bible that our words bring life. If that’s true, imagine what speaking positively could do to the world around us! If you’re ready to make a positive change in the world, then here are the two major areas to begin harnessing the power of your words:
- Think positively. Before there is action, there is thought. Naturally, we are creatures of habit which means that we aren’t always in control of the first thought that enters our minds nor the first words out of our mouths. However, we have the ability to change or reprogram our thoughts. If we can change our thinking, then we can change our words. Additionally, what we believe in our heart, we’ll believe in our minds.
- Often we are most critical of ourselves, seeing others as far better or more capable than we are. In fact, about 85% of people believe this about themselves, meaning that most of us are walking around thinking everyone else is better or brighter than we are. Unfortunately, this type of thinking limits us from taking the steps we need to succeed and get what we want out of life. That’s why the first thoughts we think in the morning and the last ones we think at night are so important. I go into greater detail about this, our brain’s patterns, and the subconscious mind in my book, God’s Not Done With You.
Speak positively. Once we get into the habit of thinking positively about ourselves, others, or our circumstances, our words will be a reflection of that. Therefore, changing the way we talk about anything or anyone can and does make a tremendous impact. For example, if you speak negatively to someone saying to them that they are worthless, then they will often believe and live up to that statement. Similarly, if you speak positively to a person and tell them that they’re a rockstar, we can often expect them to believe and behave as such. While we may feel that certain people or current circumstances may not be “deserving” of positive words, we don’t have to wait for them to live up to our expectations before we start speaking to them that way. In fact, when we speak more positively to people, naturally they’ll want to live up to those expectations.
The same can also be said of ourselves. How are you speaking to and about yourself every day?
Our words have power. If we speak more positively to others and ourselves, it will be emulated. Rather than being critical, we can speak life into each other by recognizing the positive abilities and characteristics of each person we encounter. It’s something so simple that we can do without having to change much. I encourage you to speak life into someone today, even if that someone is yourself. You’ll be making this world a better place.
