Words matter What
you say, how you say it, when you say it, and where you say it always
matters. Every time you speak and each time you choose to remain silent
(and silence is communicating), you are creating realities, altering mindsets
and attitudes, and propelling yourself and others toward specific outcomes.
Words change things The
words you choose to describe and define your present circumstances are moving
those circumstances in a certain direction. Are your words creating more
and more possibilities or are they restricting your ability to change and
enhance your circumstances?
Words change you Listen
to your inner unspoken dialogue with yourself. Are you reminding yourself
of who you intend to become, or is your self-talk creating an individual altogether
different from whom you wish to become? Are you thinking word-thoughts of
faith, hope, and love toward others or word-thoughts of disbelief, cynicism and
hatred? Think of this inner dialogue as an incantation by which you are
casting a spell over your soul. Will it help create the self you intend
to become, or is it twisting you into someone else?
Words change them You
can choose to speak justly and truly or shade and shape your words to serve
only your own hidden agenda. You can offer words of wisdom and hope, or
you can speak words that debilitate and denigrate. Ultimately, your words
flow from your beliefs about yourself and others. Do you believe the best
or the worst? As you are choosing your words, remember this: they are
creating your legend and your legacy.
Words evoke The
words you choose to speak evoke feelings and ideas in your listeners.
What do you intend for them to feel? In other words, what
psychological states are conducive to your achieving your outcomes? What
word choices will serve you here? What words will help evoke the ideas
that will serve both you and your audience’s goals for this particular
engagement?
Words provoke You
can speak words that provoke your audience to love and good deeds, or you can
choose words that provoke them to frustration and feelings of
hopelessness. Of course, you can also choose words that put them to
sleep, but I do not recommend this as a useful tact for guiding your audience
toward your intended outcomes!
Words have a melody Listen
to the conversations taking place around you today. Each person’s words
have a peculiar melody. Some melodies are monotone, others utilize a few
notes, and others create melodies and harmonies that intrigue, fascinate and
please their listeners. What melody accompanies your words, and is it
supporting the intention of your communication?
Words expose and reveal Your
words expose and reveal your heart and mind. Sooner or later, your words
will be congruent with what you truly feel and think. Are your words congruent
with your professed vision and Code, or do they reveal incongruence? If
your words reveal an incongruity, you have two choices: change your vision and
Code, or change your heart and mind.
Words are the stuff dreams are made
of Your words and dreams have a symbiotic relationship: they
feed off of each other. Are your words filling your dreams with more
content and clarity, infusing them with increased power, or do your words
weaken your faith and hope? Do you speak as a dream-weaver, or do your
words elicit nightmares? Do your words move your world closer to the
dream of truth and goodness, liberty and justice, love and compassion … or do
they move us in the opposite direction?
Excerpt from my book, Legendary Leadership
Copyright, Monte E Wilson, 2011
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