Words, no matter how big or small, can leave a lasting impression. Words can be used to help build or person up, or tear them down. We have all heard the phrase "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me," but that is far from the truth. If anything, words are the one thing that can either push a person to rise beyond their wildest dreams, or push them to end it all. That is the power behind what you say and I got to experience that first hand with my roommates and this little "experiment." I decided to leave a sticky note of a joke that was personal to me and each of my roommates on their bathroom mirror so that they would see it first thing in the morning. That morning, each of my roommates texted me something along the lines of "dang, I couldn't stop laughing this morning when I read your post it." It allowed them to start the day with a laugh, rather than worrying about a test that they, or being annoyed that they had work at 8 that morning. Yes, they still had those things on their mind, but at least they were in a better mood when tackling the day rather than being mad at the world because of those things (sounds dramatic, but you haven't met my roommates). The power of persuasion is a very great entity in this world and we often don't realize it. We don't see what that that smile to a random stranger on the bus does, or maybe how a simple "Howdy" can make all the difference in the world to someone who is having a really bad day. The small things make all the difference.
Just by taking that extra second to say "Howdy" to someone, hold open the door, or help a stranger pick up their things can not only brighten their day, but make the world a little bit of a better place. You really have no idea what someone is going through that day and your actions could make, or break them. "Words can inspire. And words can destroy. Choose yours well," a quote by Robin Sharma really sums up this lesson that I learned from this experiment. We see and experience the power the words of others can have on us, but often do no stop and think how what we say and do, affect others. We have the power to do great things and help others through our words and actions in our every day lives. Or we can use them to bring a person to their knees, whether we know it or not. So think about, what did you do or say today? Did you help bring a smile to the face of a stranger? Or did you hand them a blade with the words that you said?
Nice! I want to know exactly what you said! Sounds like it worked!
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