Tuesday, July 21, 2015

Your Words Matter


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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