The Power of Words

Whatever you put in comes out. It’s a statement that can be literal or figurative. Think about it: You eat food. What happens a little later in the day? It comes out. You listen to your teacher’s lessons and/or study enough, and the info comes back out on the test. You hear a song on the radio, it gets stuck in your head, and then you sing it because it can’t be helped.

You are told you are stupid, hopeless, and not worth it. If you hear it enough you will believe that is true. You believe it because you have no other truth to cling to. Your behavior starts to reflect the beliefs of others about you. You don’t try to aim high or set goals because you haven’t been given the tools to reach them, anyway. Why even try?

Sound familiar?

Has anyone ever told you something positive about yourself? You are smart, full of potential, and worth every bit of the life you have been given. If you hear it enough you will believe that is true. You believe it because that is the only truth to cling to. You can aim high and so you do. You set goals for your future because you know you have one.

As an adult, teacher, and mentor, I have come to know the power of words and the effects they have on the lives of youth. I am a role model who is looked to as an example by so many people from ages 2-22! I know that what I say to someone can either make a day or completely ruin it. I think about my 2 year old niece Charlotte and how my presence in her life is something she truly desires because I take the time to talk to her, read to her, encourage her, and love her. From the day she was born I have made an effort to tell her she is beautiful and smart and worthy of love. And though she is only two, I can already tell she gets it and believes it.

My friend Tyrell has told me time and time again how much my encouragement has given him strength and courage to chase after the dreams that so many others were quick to put down. He comes from a hometown that does not offer very much hope for young men like him. His family loves him but often has a non-expressive way of showing it. He was led to believe he would never leave his hometown, never have a chance to grow, never be allowed to dream. He could have easily given in to the discouragement he grew up around, but he was given enough hope from positive friends and mentors he chose to surround himself with that he began to believe the truth about himself. He graduated high school and chose to go to a university over a thousand miles away from home. He is well on the road to achieving his goals in a positive future!

What are you telling others to believe about themselves? What are you being told about yourself? It has been said that “words have the power of life and death.” Choose to bring a little bit of life to those around you by using encouraging and positive words. Robert Collier, a motivational author, said it well when he stated, “Most of us, swimming against the tides of trouble the world knows nothing about need only a bit of praise or encouragement - and we will make the goal.”