I saw the neatest commercial the other day; actually a public service announcement I think. It ended with the comment; Change your Words, Change your World. I love that! And I have thought about it ever since. Imagine if we all just “changed our words,” what a difference it would make in our own worlds.
From nasty comments to nice ones; from negative words to positive words; from hateful remarks to loving remarks….the list goes on and on….not only would we change OUR world, but the world in which everyone who comes in contact with us resides as well. Imagine if we woke up in the morning and said to ourselves, “Today is the day I will only speak kind words to everyone.” When the driver behind you speeds up and cuts you off, you would scream “Oh go ahead of me, I can see you are in a hurry!” When the lady at the checkout in front of you has 90 items instead of 12 at the only open line, you would say, “Here, let me help you put that up on the counter.” When the boy at the gas station has to go out to get his wallet because he is $2.29 short, you would say, “just let me pay that for you.”
Wow! What a difference that would make to strangers! Can you imagine what it would do to our families? It would blow them away. When you pick up your husbands dirty clothes (which missed the hamper by 3″ inches and landed on the floor again) you would say, “I know your back is bothering you, let me get that.” When your teenager comes home with a 70 on their history test, you would say, “Let’s see how we can improve on those study skills.” And when your sister tells you she is broke again and needs to borrow money, you would say, “Here is the money; don’t worry about paying it back.” Life would be a little different, I think.
The truth is, there is power in words. I have known this most of my life. As a budding writer at age 10, I sent in a poem called People to Wee Wisdom Magazine. They published it on their kids page in 1962. The words, which I still remember are: Some people are fat, some people are thin, some people wear a frown, some people wear a grin. Some people are short, some people are tall, but just remember this, they are people after all.
It was then that I realized the power of words. Words change lives; words change ideas; words change people’s minds, their thoughts, their ideals. Words have an effect like nothing else, and it can resonate with either a positive force or a negative one–your choice. If you are gifted enough to speak them well, write them well or even repeat them well, you have the ability to change the lives of everyone with whom you come in contact.
It is so true. Change your words, change your world. Are you ready for a change?
Pat's Wit and Wisdom 