Graphic by Noemi Gonzalez.The English language is an amalgamation of several cultures, histories, tragedies and successes. We have words rooted in every language, and people don’t acknowledge this melting pot of terminology often enough.
Words are as beautiful as they are powerful. The childhood saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” Biggest lie ever.
Physical wounds heal—they may leave scars, but the pain they cause eventually ends. Words leave no scars, but they can shatter a person. Our minds are incredibly powerful and what gets in there has the ability to affect everything we do.
Author Rudyard Kipling said, ““Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.”
This is why I fully believe in the power of positivity. Let’s call it a social experiment. I spent an entire week being negative and complaining about every little inconvenience that occurred. The result: I felt exhausted, depressed and discontent. My language was more vulgar. I ate terrible food. I cried more than once. I spent five days being angry over every little thing and the inevitable blow up ended in a tearful phone call to my brother.
After my explosion, I got up the next morning and decided that I would spend all day being positive. Whenever something inconvenienced me, I smiled instead of cursing. I made moments of discomfort into jokes. I took a deep breath when I felt stressed about something. I listened to upbeat music—childhood favorites and lots of Disney. Instead of ranting when I got irritated, I did a silly dance around my room.
I made myself look on the bright side of things. And it changed everything. I had more energy. I was far more productive. I felt happier than ever. All of it changed because I altered my language.
So here’s a little experiment for you guys to do at home: Spend one day being negative. Write down how you felt. Then spend the next being positive. Write down your feelings throughout the day. Compare the two and then comment below with what you found!
Reach the blogger at Stephanie.Tate@asu.edu or follow her on Twitter @StephanieITA
