The Words we Choose

The people who invented the typewriter were automating a manual process. They envisioned a future where communications could be faster and consistent. As a result people who wanted to utilize this new tool had to learn the keyboard, the QWERTY as we know it today. This became the standard for all keyboards for generations to follow. Today multiple versions of the keyboard exist, yet QWERTY is still the most utilized.

Do you think the people who invented it had any idea of how far reaching their idea would extend? If they could see how dependent we are on keyboards to communicate in today’s world they would be shocked. Most children no longer learn handwriting and as a result no longer have a signature; these children however can type faster with only their thumbs than most people who used the original typewriters could type with all ten fingers. One idea has changed the world.

Maybe you do not have the next idea that will change the world, yet you do have the power to change someone’s world simply by choosing your words carefully. Whether you type them, text them or speak them the words we use tell people a great deal. We are able to communicate emotions, ideas, concerns, frustrations and anything else simply by the words we put together to make sentences and paragraphs. It is a power that transcends all other things we do.

The words we choose are like a super power. They lift and encourage or degrade and humiliate, or something in between. Whether they are seen or heard words have the power to transform everything they touch. As you put your fingers to use on a device – keyboard or phone – be reminded that what you choose to communicate has the power to change the world and become the ‘voice’ in another person’s mind. Your words may become the new standard by which someone else lives their life. So type wisely, type clearly, and speak confidently as you share your word power with others.