I was working alongside a group of truly wonderful people last week, and we found ourselves in a fascinating conversation about words, and the effect they have on us.
And it got me thinking... about how words permeate our entire lives.... Can you imagine going a day without words? Without reading any? …Or hearing any? Or speaking any?
The very origin of ‘words’ as language still divides experts even today, with some studies claiming that speech happened by accident or that it was a bit of a genetic mutation. Whilst others speculate that we were originally mimicking sounds we heard around us, like animals & loud bangs...
Possibly so that we could let others know and keep each other safe, maybe?
Words have SUCH incredible power
They can be used to inspire or to insult, to harm or to heal, to scare or to soothe...
Words can make your heart beat faster, make you sweat, make you cry, make you fall in love…
However you slice it, words impact us, constantly, largely due to the meaning and importance we assign to them.
This ‘meaning and importance’... or rather the way words resonate with us, can really shift our energy, conjure up many emotions and inform our belief systems... often without us even noticing - They can certainly mess with our mindset... and knock us off the course of our chosen path
Still don’t believe in the power of words?
Finish this sentence: “What if…”
Oh, the endless places those simple words, those six letters, can take us.
The sparks of imagination burning in your brain this very moment. Your imagination, exploding with unrestrained possibility.
What if you could use that very power of inspiration, creation, and connection with everyone you meet? Answer: you can.
We wielders of words, we sorcerers, charmers, creative conjurers, magical beasts, we are free to spell words into existence at will, crafted to convince, to change, to instil a sense, a feeling in someone beyond their control.
There’s real power there. We are undoubtedly unstoppable.
What if we harness their power to our enormous benefit instead? There are some super-simple, yet deeply powerful ways we can do this.
Here are three of my faves:
Journaling - This creates a visual representation of our thoughts, wishes, plans, and desires. It’s a fab way of crystallising our thinking and noting down things that we want to remember, evidencing them to the brain. Giving us this comforting place to express ourselves and create our next steps is highly useful... all through the medium of words
Speaking our wishes, goals, desires out loud - (even if just to ourselves ...in fact, ESPECIALLY just to ourselves - there’s a really useful exercise I do with my wonderful HushMindful mentoring clients
Creating affirmations - that support our living a life that fits with our plans. Simple short phrases that feel good for you, are what I might recommend. One of my absolute favourites is this:
“Day by day, in every way, I’m getting better and better”
- this was written by Dr. Émile Coué and I love it
...I’d love to know what works for you - what words soothe, uplift and restore you?
...And finally, some added magic:
Magic
by Bo Burnham
Read this to yourself. Read it silently.
Don’t move your lips. Don’t make a sound.
Listen to yourself. Listen without hearing anything.
What a wonderfully weird thing, huh?
NOW MAKE THIS PART LOUD!
SCREAM IT IN YOUR MIND!
DROWN EVERYTHING OUT.
Now, hear a whisper. A tiny whisper.
Now, read this next line with your best crotchety-old-man voice:
“Hello there, sonny. Does your town have a post office?”
Awesome! Who was that? Whose voice was that?
It sure wasn’t yours!
How do you do that?
How?!
... Must be magic.
If you'd like to connect with me, find out how working with me can benefit you, or ask me a question, I am excited to hear from you
Love, Jo x