The Power of Hugging People With Your Words

Do you believe your words can affect others? Well, I am here to tell you why I believe they do.

Let me start by sharing a story:
A teacher once had twenty students in her class. She consistently told ten of the students they were brilliant and told the other ten they were miserable failures. The next time she gave them an exam, the students who were told they were brilliant performed extremely well. But the students who were told they were failures, failed. Why? I am convinced that every word spoken carries positive or negative energy that causes some people to succeed and others to fail.

Words are profoundly powerful. They have started and stopped wars; they have saved lives while putting others to death. I believe that words can quite literally change the course of someone’s life because they can pull you into mediocrity or push you toward excellence.

What words are pulling on you? Are they the toxic words of someone from your past that still haunt you in the present?

What words are pushing you? Are they positive, encouraging words of someone who believes in you?

Where you are in your life right now is the total of every word you’ve ever spoken, every word that’s been spoken to you, and every word that’s been spoken over you.

Have you ever heard the old saying, “You are what you eat”? Well, I have a new spin on that: “You are what you speak!”

The brilliant Dr. Mark Chironna told me several years ago, “If you intend to be a world-class communicator, you must remember that it’s not what you say but what’s behind what you say that makes the difference.” In other words, character is not built in a public setting; character is built when no one is watching. The choices you make and the words you speak when no one is around are indicators of your true self.

A wise person once said, “It’s not who you are that holds you back, it’s who you think you’re not.”

I sense in my spirit that some of you are bound, stuck, defeated, even depleted, in your marriage, finances, relationships, and profession. Your life is on hold because of what someone once said to you. I invite you to break free of the words and beliefs that are holding you prisoner. Find your voice, because a world of possibility awaits you.

How can you make certain that every word you speak counts?
1. Develop your word power.
A group of researchers wanted to study the effects of word power on income. The subjects were college students from the same graduating class at a large university. Each student was given an English vocabulary test and then tracked for the next 20 years. Those students who scored the highest (i.e., knew the definitions of the most words) were consistently in the highest income group. On the other hand, the students with the worst vocabulary scores were consistently in the lowest income group 20 years later. Which group would you be in? Developing your word power is critical…and there is no better way to increase your word power than to read – every day.

2. Make every word positive.
Mahatma Gandhi knew the importance of being positive: “Keep your thoughts positive, because your thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive, because your words become your behavior. Keep your behavior positive, because your behaviors become your habits. Keep your habits positive, because your habits become your values. Keep your values positive, because your values become your destiny.”

Every word you speak carries the essence of your spirit, the substance of your character, and the energy of your soul. My friends, words do matter. So, I leave you with one last question: How can you hug yourself and others with your words?