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We were in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. It was an Amphibious Assault Group. I was on an Amphibious Assault Ship, we delivered the Marines to the shore.
Since we were in an Amphibious Assault Group, we were the lead ship in the exercise. We were accompanied by a couple of destroyers and a few guided missile cruisers.
One of the critical objectives for our work center was coordinating with the other intelligence analysts from the rest of the group.
We had a standard chat room where we would share information and build rapport.
During a shift, one of our newest analysts was chatting with another analyst in a private chatroom. She had some unflattering things to say about a few people from another ship.
It was a late night shift, so the traffic was minimal. She was typing in our group chat and thought it was private. What she later realized is her private conversation wasn't so private.
We had a big meeting about this faux pas, and our leadership wasn't enthusiastic about it.
This flub tainted the remainder of the exercise and ruined our relationship with the rest of the group. Other ships wondered if there were secret chats where those same people were insulting them.
Our words, typed or spoken, are essential.
What you say to yourself and others matters a great deal. Words can live in the heads of the recipient for years. It can impact how they think of themselves and act toward others.
We say words can't hurt us, but we know they can.
When you speak, understand the power you wield. Understand you may impact people more than you will realize. Once you understand that, you can help build others and yourself up with words.
Think Before You Speak
Our words have weight. To some in your life, your words may have even more weight and authority.
Consider what message you are trying to convey before you speak. A simple criticism, phrased a certain way, could be taken the wrong way.
Consider how and what you are saying. You are not responsible for how everyone receives your words. Responsibility only lies with how you communicate.
People are watching. You could influence people you don't interact with regularly.
An offhand comment from a seasoned Toastmaster ended up being an inspiration to me after my first speech.
I had sat down, still trembling after stumbling through my first speech. He spoke next. He forgot a part of his speech momentarily. He turned to me and said, "Even the most experienced of us still make mistakes."
Those words gave me the confidence to proceed.
Affirmations and Positivity
As important as what we say to others is what we say to ourselves.
Hannah Bronfman sums it up in this quote, "Don't forget to tell yourself positive things daily! You must love yourself internally to glow externally."
We tend to be the hardest on ourselves. Instead, think before speaking the words to yourself. You are conditioning yourself with your words.
This post isn't about always being positive. Sometimes you'll mess up. You should be hard on yourself if you want to improve.
To motivate yourself to keep pushing, you must find the positive in your failures and victories.
Give yourself credit when you've earned it.
Energize Words Through Action
Words, on their own, have power. In certain situations, you can give your words added power with your actions.
Think about someone in your life. If you told this person you were moving and needed help, would they help you? If they told you they would be there, would you believe them?
The words lose power if you compliment everyone but don't sound sincere. Promise you'll be somewhere and then don't show up; they lose power.
People can believe what you say. If you compliment and sound sincere, it gives your compliments power. Showing up when you say you will give your word power.
People will believe you are always dishonest if you are dishonest in one area.
Being consistently honest means people will believe you to be honest.
Be wise with your words and intelligent in your action.
What's Next?
Words big and small can make differences between short and tall. Every interaction can have an impact on the recipient's life. Treat your words with care. Though our tongues are tiny, they carry considerable weight.
Think before you speak. Measure your words carefully and consider the message you want to convey. Most conflicts occur over miscommunication.
You can be hard on yourself. Make sure you acknowledge the good stuff too. Simply being down on yourself will not motivate you to keep going.
Energize your words. Follow through on your words with action. This lends additional weight to the things you say.
Our tongues are tiny, but they have the power to steer our lives. We can influence others. We can create an image of ourselves using words.
Take care to make the most of this influence and power. Treat others with respect and seek to push others forward.