The Power of Words: Why You Should Always Say the Kind Thing

“If you see something beautiful in someone, speak it.” – Ruthie Lindsey

I’m naturally shy, so speaking up isn’t my default setting. Deep, meaningful conversations? That’s my jam. Small talk and chit chat? Not so much. However, I’m dating one of the most social humans I know. He’s the type to walk into a room of strangers and walk out with new best friends.

A few months back, I had to work late so Matt got dinner by himself at a local pizza place. He came home completely jazzed, telling me all about this older gentleman he’d met at the bar and talked to the entire evening. He knew details about the man’s life, his kids, his wife. I shouldn’t have been surprised because this is a very normal occurrence for him, but it still impresses me.

After hearing Matt tell me so many stories like this and experiencing it firsthand over the years, I started to see the value in striking up conversations with people. People love to connect. We want to feel seen and heard. It’s human nature. I’m reminded of this any time I’m on the receiving end of unexpected conversation or kindness.

I recently had the opportunity to use a free personal training session at my gym. My trainer was motivating, kind, and genuinely wanted to get to know me. At the end of our session he said, “I’ve just got to tell you, you have a really great energy about you that makes people around you feel safe.”

Say what?! To hear that sort of assessment from someone I’d just met was really powerful. It stuck with me.

Our words are energy. What my trainer said to me was full of positive energy and made me feel good about myself. Think of it this way– words coming from you hold an energy based on what those words are, how you feel when you say them, and your genuine meaning behind them. That energy is then passed to the person you’re speaking to.

Let’s say I admire someone for their dedication to exercise and I genuinely express to them, “I’ve noticed how dedicated you are to working out every day. That is so impressive!” I’m sending to them my feeling of admiration, which likely fills them with some feeling of pride, which in turn makes me happy knowing I made them feel good. I made that positive energy greater by sharing it with someone else.

I tested this idea of “good energy” the other morning when I had a rough start to my day. Instead of following my usual route of letting the whole day be bad, I made a conscious decision to uplift other people. If I want good, I have to give good, right? So, I found opportunities to be kind and speak up that morning. I left a supportive comment to a woman on Instagram who I knew just started her own business; I talked through health issues with a friend, giving my support and advice.

Guess what? My bad morning stayed bad for like an hour. My heart felt lighter after trying to uplift others. I even had an old friend unexpectedly reach out to me with a super nice message. It ended up being a beautifully fulfilling day because I connected with others and focused on adding good to the world.

Don’t underestimate the power of your words.

We often live so much in our heads that we don’t even recognize our own beauty and need to be reminded of it. Connecting with people creates richness in your life. It adds value to an otherwise ordinary day.

What could you say today to make someone else’s day a little better?

With love,

Alissa