The Words We Speak: Are They Building Us Up or Holding Us Back?
Originally published September 22, 2016
The Wall of Words
It’s amazing how easily we can use words that sabotage us while overlooking the words that could uplift us and bring light into our lives and the lives of others.
I am guilty of self-sabotage. Regardless of what I know or what I try to do differently, it can be a struggle—a constant struggle, really—to stop using words that tear down and replace them with words that breathe life.
But the struggle is well worth it.
Some people may say this never happens to them, and my hat is off to them. But in the imperfect world we live in, doubt can find its way into the minds of even the most competent, confident, and credible people.
It’s human nature to question ourselves and our capabilities. Yet society sometimes convinces us that doubt is something to be ashamed of. Instead of acknowledging it, we hide it. But what if we acknowledged those feelings, even shared them with others, and then made a conscious effort to confront them?
Words That Represent Hope
Some may look at my Wall of Words and see a contradiction between the words displayed and the reality of my life.
I see something different.
That wall represents hope. It represents the light that either already exists in my life or the light I want to see in my life. In either case, it represents reality—or reality in motion.
The words we choose matter. They can reflect where we are, remind us of where we want to be, and help us move toward the person we hope to become.
Questions Worth Asking Yourself
Don’t try to read between the lines. Sometimes the quickest way to an answer is to ask the person most likely to know it: yourself.
The same questions others ask of you may be the very questions you need to ask yourself.
- Who am I really?
- What am I all about?
- What do I represent?
- What will I leave this world with when I’m gone?
- How will people remember me?
- How do I want people to remember me?
- Am I who I say I am?
- Are my priorities in order?
- What are my priorities?
- What is most important to me in my life?
- How do I treat others?
- How do I want to be treated?
- Have I written my own life’s script, or have I left it to chance?
- If I could change anything, what would it be?
I hope the answers to these questions breathe life into you and into the world around you.
And if they don’t, I hope a lamp has been lit beneath your feet—one that helps illuminate the path toward a wall filled with words that breathe life.