Words

Words are funny things.  We all use them every day, all the time, to communicate with other people.  We tell young children instead of grunting and pointing to use their words to let us know what they want.  We say them, we write them, we sing them, we sign them, we use Morse code, we text them and we type them.  Sometimes, we evaluate the type of words that other people use as a barometer of their knowledge, whether they realize it or not, whether our assumptions are correct or not.  Some words can stand alone and communicate volumes of information and meaning, while other words are better paired with vocal intonation and / or facial expression to get the meaning across.  For instance, sarcasm works great face-to-face and can be humorous, while if written in an email might come across as an insult.

Some words are used to make us feel good, while others are used to make us feel bad.  There are words that provide a positive connotation, and there are words that provide a not so positive connotation.  Some words help us to enforce a position, some words show commitment, some words show disinterest, and some words confound the issue.  The more we engage in personal development, the more we read and the more we listen to thought leaders, the better our vocabulary becomes and the better we communicate thoughts, concepts and visions.

One word that I have recently found to be confusing is the word try.  “I will give it a try.”  Does that mean you will do it, or might do it?  “I will try to do it.”  When will that event occur?  “At least I tried.”  What does that mean, gave it a thought?  “Did you really try?” “I can try again.”  “I can try later.”  “When the time is right, I will give it a try.”  “At least I gave it the college try.”  What does that mean?!?  If I failed out of college my first semester, can I use that phrase?  “I tried.”  “Try one’s luck.”  Now there is a real commitment to something substantial!

Choose your words well and they in turn will serve you well…