The worst time to choose your words..
.. is in the moment you are saying them.
(By ‘saying them,’ I also mean the times when you’re writing an email, text, FB message, etc.)
How much power do words have? More than an average person can imagine. But you’re not average. If you’re reading this, you’re someone who appreciates the power of words.
Words are almost all most people have left of action in life and in business.
Just look around: the difference between motivating someone into action to support a person, cause, or to buy a product or service often comes down to knowing what to say to them.
(One of the reasons why the original iPod, which was not the first mp3 player on the market, started gaining so much traction came down to the power of the slogan, “1000 Songs in Your Pocket,” with which Steve Jobs introduced the original iPod in 2001.)
And when people don’t choose their words well, the power of words is such that they can (and do) hinder progress, hurt, and even harm folks.
“If the worst time to choose words is in the moment I’m saying them, when is the best time to level up my game?”
My 2¢: Long before you need it.
First, invite good words into your life every day. Even if it’s only once a day, go where good words are: go to positive stories. (Read, listen, watch, etc.)
Second, when you read/see/hear some good words, phrases, etc., write them down. Literally. Yes, literally. (Maybe write them as a text to yourself.) Just like an athlete needs to practice a move they’ll later perform, or a musician needs to practice a note they’ll later play, write some good words down someplace.
Third, say them to yourself. Yes, you read it right. Insert some new and good words into something you want to say to someone before you actually do it. Maybe say it in the shower, or in your car. I don’t know. But make sure that you hear yourself saying those words. (You’ll be in good company: even folks like Meryl Streep and Barack Obama do this.)
By then, you’ll own those good words. So, don’t be surprised to see them show up the next time you need to choose your words.
Thank you for reading this far!
Jul 19, 2018