Choose Your Words Carefully
Photo by Elaine Klonicki
“The words you speak are powerful. Especially the words you speak to yourself.”
~ Robin Sharma
I’ve been crazy about babies since I held my first niece when I was 11. I love the really tiny infants—the ones most people are afraid to hold. My next favorite stage is when they are 3 or 4 months old and are just learning to coo. I love holding them close and repeating “ooh” and “ahh” sounds in the hopes that they’ll mimic them. It’s amazing watching their little brains start to make the connections, and seeing the first indications from the edges of their mouths that they’re trying to reproduce the sounds. Their first tries often start out more like squeaks, which delights me to no end.
We all begin our verbal development the same way, learning first to pronounce and then to understand the meaning of one word at a time. And then somehow we start stringing words together in a way that makes sense to others. Eventually we find ourselves having an actual conversation. How miraculous is that?
By age 1, a child will recognize 50 words. That increases exponentially to 1,000 words by age 3, and to 10,000 by age 5. There’s a difference between our active vocabulary, which is the one we use everyday, and our passive vocabulary, which is the one we understand.
Most of us take the words we use for granted. We start out using the ones we learned growing up, and generally never give it too much thought.
I’ve been thinking about the power of words since I came across this Tiny Buddha article this week. It suggests choosing one actionable verb, such as “focus,” to use as a mental guide for the day. I love the idea!
“Simple action words, kept at the forefront of thought, can be powerful allies in keeping our thoughts, intentions, and actions clear as we move throughout the day,” says Kristin Brownstone.
One single word can serve as a roadmap, infusing a days’ seemingly disparate actions and tasks with a unified purpose.
There are so many creative ways to keep the words top of mind. Here are some I’ve observed just in my own circle:
My daughter’s friend starts out her day meditating on a word she’s chosen from the Bible. She posts it on her car dashboard so it’s visible when she’s driving to work and back.
A friend from book club has a unique way of sharing meaningful words with friends in order to encourage them. She prints the word on a slip of artsy paper, cuts it out using scalloped scissors, and tucks it in with greeting cards. I’ve been collecting the slips on my bulletin board, with plans to create a word collage from them.
My middle sister has developed her own take on this practice, choosing a new phrase each year on her birthday to inspire herself to keep a positive attitude as she ages. She uses a rhyming technique to help her remember the phrases:
“Healthy and alive at 65.”
”Feeling great at 68.”
“Having fun at 71.”
My cousin, who’s an artist, often shares this word art on Facebook, created by writer/artist/publisher Brian Andreas. I love the simplicity of the artwork, and how the lines, colors, and words combine to create impactful messages.
Do you have examples from your own life?
I talk a lot on this blog about setting an intention, because it provides a guide for purposeful living.
It’s amazing how simple daily practices can, over time, sink in, and have a positive effect on our mental health.
We think of word choice as being related to communication with others, and we strive to be as clear as possible. But what about the words we use with ourselves? They may be even more important.
What’s your word for today? Mine is “grateful,” (for you, my loyal readers).
Affectionately,
Elaine
p.s. You might enjoy this unique and funny blog on the etymology of words by my friend Kris Spisak. (She has a newsletter you can subscribe to if you’d like to have her posts arrive in your inbox.)