“If the word has the potency to revive and make us free, it has also the power to blind, imprison, and destroy.” – Ralph Ellison
Most of the time we overlooked the power of words. Word are powerful. They can make us laugh and cry. Words can hurt or heal. Inspiring words can offer us hope or arouse our deepest desires.
Words have power that can create actions. And inspiring words can empower and change life. I am sure you know those impassioned words of the late Martin Luther King, Jr. which moved and changed the Americans’ view of racial equality. Yes, this is what I mean by inspiring words which can change life.
This is the reason why the conscious selection of words is important. Powerful words can shape the course of our destiny. Our thoughts are in fact words. When we self talk, or having internal dialogue, we use words. So choosing the right words can have a great impact on one’s life. The problem is most of us just simply choose words unconsciously. And those poor selection of words can put us in a negative emotional states.
Using emotionally-charged words can change one’s state of mind. Words conjure images in our minds. Those images have an influence on our belief system. For instance, words like angry, furious, peeved, upset, livid or enraged. All these words have similar meaning, but each of these words conjure different images and moods. No doubt we all have the same sensations, but the way a particular word trigger in our head differently. What represents in our minds determines how we feel about life.
The power of word alters our perceptions and feelings. In other words, we can change the emotion in us by changing the word.
Remember to consciously fill your vocabulary with positive words or encouraging words. For example, if you have the habit of saying, “whatever” This word can intensify your indifference emotional states. As Latin writer Publilius Syrus said: “Speech is the mirror of the soul; as a man speaks, so he is.”
You can find a list of powerful words from the Internet or from books.
The next time when need to use words of comfort, beware of the selection of power words and phrases. Make sure those words can soothe the heart or ease the pain.
Talking about the power of words, same goes for writing a great resume. You need to know the use of power words for resume. Or rather powerful phrases which invoke a positive feeling. By knowing how to use the appropriate resume power words, you have much better chance of getting your resume read from thousand other applications.
For example you should use powerful phrases like: demonstrated skills in, extensive academic, good working knowledge of, committed to, employed to handle, involved in and etc.
Check out my past post on the use of happy words, for those who want to live happier life.