Words of Life

So much of Eric's message today ties into Interpersonal Communication.  He stresses the importance and POWER of the words we speak face-to-face, online, and to ourselves, and that those words need to be words of life rather than words of death.  The power of words spoken face-to-face is another lesson in mindfulness; you need to be aware not only of the messages you are sending, but the effects those words have on others. We talked about in Chapter 1 how communication is irreversible; when words of death are released, they can't be taken back.  We'll get more into the power of the words we use in chapters 5, 7, and 8.  The same goes with the words we use online. Those are irreversible, too. Once someone, anyone, has seen them, they are out there and can't really be deleted or taken back.  But one of the most powerful messages has to do with the words we tell ourselves; that's intrapersonal communication.

    

That ties SO strongly to what we are covering in Chapter 3. How we see ourselves is directly linked to how we speak to ourselves.  In middle school and most of high school, I had really low self-esteem.  I didn't really value myself, at all. Much of that came from other's words to me, which directly affected how I saw myself.  My intrapersonal communication was toxic, hurtful, and sometimes even abusive.  Words of death aren't just the words we speak or communicate to others; those words can be the words we tell ourselves. It's important to surround yourself with people who build you up, and nurish you, not knock you down.  If people see you positively, you'll see youself better. I met my now husband the summer before my senior year. I was just coming out of an abusive relationship, and I really didn't see myself with much value.  My intrapersonal communication wasn't much better than that of my abusive boyfriend. My now husband changed that for me. He reminded me that not all guys are toxic and hurtful, use words of death. He reminded me what real friendship felt like and that I was worth much more than how I saw myself.  He provided me with words of life, and I began to see myself far more positively. I was a very different person my senior year of high school, and I've continued to grow in positive ways ever since. Words of life have a HUGE impact. I know this first had. You don't always end up dating and marrying the person who fills you with words of life, but in my case, I lucked out.