Words Matter - always.

Every discourse leaves an impression. Sometimes that impression may inspire us and create unbounded confidence. We live for those moments. Sometimes the message leaves us concerned or that we need to step it up; that somehow, we didn’t live up to our capability and it’s time to do better.

And then there are those times when the words we hear leave us defeated. That somehow, no matter the effort, we aren’t good enough.

Life itself is very good at balancing most things. When things are great, it’s only a matter of time before reality hits and our feet come back to the floor. When those occasions come calling pointing out that we’re not performing to our potential, that we can, and should, do better - we do.

But sadly, it’s those moments that we never forget; those comments or remarks which cut to our very soul and destroy us piece by piece until we spend so much time looking in, that we forget there’s a whole world for us to see. 

Maya Angelou was quoted as saying, ‘people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” How true this is.

Leaders live by this. Others who should, but don’t, see little value in the message - if they see a message at all.

The current times are both challenging and difficult. Regardless of where you sit politically or culturally, this basic truth resonates within each one of us:

We can make those around us either feel better, or worse, by what we say - by what we do.

For me, I choose better.