“The words you speak become the house youlive in.” This is a famous quote from the Persian poet Khawaja Shams-ud-dinMuhammad Hafez-e Shiraz also known as Hafez. He was alive during the 14th-centuryand lived in Iran. He mainly wrote lyric poetry. His poems expressed divineinspiration in the form of endearment poems. Wordsmatter. For many years’ parents have used the rhyme: “Sticks and stones maybreak my bones, but words will never hurt me.

So call me this and call me that,but call yourself a dirty rat.” This rhyme is used to help children not gettheir feelings hurt when being called names. Words have an extreme impactwhether you are taught to ignore or not. I think that Hafez meant that thewords you speak to others or yourself will determine how you live.

This quoteis similar to the saying “You made your bed now sleep in it.” What you sayaffects others as well as yourself. You can inspire and uplift other people oryou can tear them down. The way you speak to people will affect the way peopletreat you. Words crystalize perceptions that shape our behavior, our beliefs,and ultimately create our world.

Choose carefully. Words have a lot of power over you andothers. They can be forgiven, but rarely forgotten. Your use of words willreveal to others what kind of person you are. Words exchanged between peoplehold a tremendous amount of power, but arguably, the words we speak toourselves possess even more power.

The way you speak to yourself can defeat youor uplift you into a better person. Choose carefully the way you use yourwords, as inspiration and encouragement to yourself and others. The right wordsat the wrong time can be just as harmful as the wrong words.

Unkind words willstick to someone for years and shape the way they perceive themselves. Wordsleft unsaid can be just as harmful. As a leader you must learn how to use yourwords wisely. The right words at the right time can make a huge difference insomeone’s life.                            Whyare humans so affected by the words we speech? Out loud and in our own minds.Humans are social animals meaning we thrive when we interact with others. Theway we interact with each other affects the way we feel about ourselves.

Whenyou have a positive conversation with someone it doesn’t make youself-conscious. When you have a negative conversation your brain does thisthing where we keep thinking something’s wrong with our self. We becomeself-conscious. When you hear destructive words from others you automaticallythink you have to change. We are at our greatest when we are surrounded bypositive thoughts. The way you perceive yourself is extremely powerful in howyou will succeed.

When listening to one speak the words are pushed into theleft temporal lobe for your brain to process. Your brain then takes the information and creates an emotionto correspond with the words.Even seeing a list of negative words will make an anxious, depressed or uneasyperson feel worse then already felt. Once you are exposed to negative word yourbrain will automatically start to ruminate on them. This will disrupt yourappetite; sleep schedule, as well as you ability to experience long-termhappiness. When you hear negativity, stress chemicals will be released, notonly in listener’s brain but yours as well. Someone listening to negativespeech will experience increased irritability and anxiety thus damaging trustand cooperation. Negative words spoken with aggression do more damage thennormal.

This will interfere with the frontal lobe impairing the person’sability to make rational decisions.  Whensomeone is taught to turn negative thoughts into positive and affirming wordsin improves self-control and confidence. There’s a slight problem: the braindoesn’t respond to positive words or thoughts. These thoughts are not a threatto our survival so the brain doesn’t respond as quickly as the negativity.

Have I ever struggled with the words thatwere spoken to me? People who are not close with me have judged me. I choosenot to partake in what they have to say. I have many close friends whom arealways uplifting others. I choose to surround myself with people who expresspositive attitudes. Have I ever experienced word in a way that have foundhealing? I find a lot of healing in music as well as poetry.

The way my friendsinspire me and help me through any trouble is healing. When I have destructivethought I turn to music or a friend to talk about it. I turn to myself as wellto get rid of the destructive thoughts and instead I think of things thatinspire me to get closer to where I want to be.

When I am feeling critical Ilisten to music that helps me get out of that state of destruction. I have beenworking to train my mind to becoming a positive place. What kind of experienceshas led me to understand that kind speech attracts kindness, and rude speechattracts rudeness. Throughout the years I have learned how to speak to others.When I was a younger, girls who gossiped and were unkind to each othersurrounded me.

  I began to think that wasthe way to fit in and make friends. I carried that assumption for a coupleyears. I seemed to fit in with the other girls but the others often teared medown. It wasn’t till about 5th grade when I switched schools that Iabruptly learned that it wasn’t the way to treat others. I felt terrible aboutthe way I had acted and quickly changed my ways. Ever since I was focused onincluding everyone and never saying anything that would make people doubt mytrustworthiness. Do words have the power to hurt? Absolutely, words can be themost painful thing depending on how someone has treated you. Because of the wayour generation is treating others has led to a generation of depression.

Youngteens will hide behind a computer or electronic and bully others. I find thisway of speaking to be weak and cowardly. Our generation has grown to think itsok to judge others and make assumptions. They think they can express everythingthey find wrong in another, when the bully themselves have flaws as well. Weall do. The words we are using are so destructive that people can’t see thegood in themselves any longer.

Words can kill. Do words have the power to heal?Words can be destructive or they can heal/inspire. It depends on how you chooseto use them. If you choose to heal your words can be as healing as they candestruct. Words can inspire people to be better and to reach for their dreamsand achieve them. Our world is shaped from inspiration as well as destruction.The greatest accomplishments in life have been from those who used words in a healingway. They have inspired people around them.

Inspirational words can havetremendous power. Have I ever struggled with the words I say to myself? I havehad trouble with the things I say about myself, both to myself and out loud toother people. Statements and inner thoughts I have about myself can tear medown one day and uplift me the next. I have been taught that the way you thinkwill change the way you feel as well. If you were to think negative,destructive thoughts you would feel terrible.

One of the greatest skills iswhen you learn to think in a way that doesn’t affect you negatively. I workeveryday to help myself get closer to that state of mind. The most trouble Ihave is in my head. Destructive thoughts will tear you down even if others arekind to you.

Your worst enemy as well as your best friend is your mind. If youtrain it correctly you will be able to overcome any obstacle you choose.Why is this quoteinteresting to me? I already have so many thoughts about this topic and thisquote perfectly expresses the way I feel.

I am inspired to keep training mymind into becoming positive. I am inspired to become the best I can be. I wantto believe I can. “Believe you can and you are half way there.” –TheodoreRoosevelt. I believe your mind is your most powerful tool, you must learn howto use it.

Words are the most powerful force available to humanity.