Practice it Daily, Your Life Will Change

Sometimes the test pages are the best pages! I made a new stamp using plastic stickers I got at the dollar store. I glued them to a block of wood and this was the first gel print a friend created when she tested the stamp. I like all the letters dancing around the page. Here is what the quote says:

If one speaks or acts with a cruel mind,
misery follows, as the cart follows the horse…
If one speaks or acts with a pure mind,
happiness follows as the shadow follows the source.

– The Dhammapada

Whether we want to admit it or not, a great deal of our relationship problems begin with the words we choose. We feel threatened or overlooked, so we lash out and speak words to put the other person in their place…when in reality we are only making ourselves more miserable. When we feel joy, peace, love we speak those words and harmony and happiness engulfs both us and our audience. There is great power in the spoken word, we just need to harness that power and use our tongue to build people up not tear them down, or try to control them.

The same holds true for email, texting and anything we post on the internet. We get what we give…give angst and that is EXACTLY what you will get. Give kindness, joy, peace and that is what will follow you all your days. I learned long ago – say it forget it, write it, regret it! People remember how what we said made them feel, maybe not always the words we utilized. When we write down our emotions- that pointedly mean email or sarcastic text – and people will not be able to forget your misery which spilled all over them. That message can be reread over and over again, only increasing the difficulties between you both.

You know all this, you get it…or maybe you NEED to get it. The challenge is not understanding the power in our words. The REAL challenge is in harnessing those words. Thinking before we write or speak, letting kindness be our guide, not always having to get in that last word or always needing to be right, superior. If you want to win, be careful what you end up winning…the podium of champions can be a very lonely place if no one is around to give you three cheers of hooray because of the words you have chosen. If you want people to love and care for you, it may mean you are not always right all the time. Send out kindness and love and THAT is what you will get in return. Send out power, control, cruelty and humiliation…ouch, it will come back to you in ways you never imagined.

Let me encourage you to think before you speak, especially before you write. Your words have great power. Once you understand that power AND practice it daily, your life will change…and so will you!