I was lookin’ good!
This week, as I walked out the door, heading to work, Kia looked up at me. She said, “You look really nice. Take a selfie.” I’ll be honest, she was just back from a trip, wiped out and hardly awake. I don’t know if she was seeing clearly. But I did it.
I took a selfie. See…
I don’t do selfies. Well, I do, but not every day, all the time, let’s-mark-this-moment selfies. I do it on a rare occasion. Then I do nothing with them. I literally have hundreds of selfies sitting on my phone the world will never see.
As I edited this image, looked at it some more, and posted it to Instagram; I had a thought.
Affirmation is power.
This one was different. Why? I was affirmed.
You look nice.
Some people are champs at affirming words. Sure it was from my wife. She’s in my corner, but it still mattered. I took action because of 3 simple kind words she spoke.
I saw my friend Jon at a photography conference, and I walked away embarrassed. It was nothing negative. I was embarrassed because he wouldn’t stop saying nice things about me. He spoke real, genuine, heartfelt words of encouragement. I was red-faced in a nice way. I was saying “Stop.”, but inwardly my hand was waving him on – no, just a little more.
Words are important.
I’m not a champ at saying affirming words.
I’m listening to the podcast Serial. This season is a journalistic investigation of the Bowe Bergdahl case. One reason Bergdahl gives for walking off his post into the Afghan night was Army culture. He tells the story of his unit surviving a harrowing experience in battle – the first for their group. They were days in the bush, came under heavy fire, but made it back to the base without a casualty or even an injury.
As they rode into base, the Battalion Commander says, “What, you couldn’t shave?”
I’m guessing the commander was speaking with sarcasm. I would, if it was me. I would make a sarcastic remark rather than a heartfelt, “Glad your back alive!” I would think it. I would feel it. I may not say it.
Words create action.
A man walked off his post into enemy territory because the culture was eating him alive. I don’t condone it or even understand it, but it’s true. Words matter. Words created action.
What I say matters. What you say matters. Words create action.
Imagine the action we are creating every day, all around us. I am putting people into motion one way or another, and so are you. Words matter.
What are you saying?
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