Words are like weapons

There was a lyric in a song that said “Words are like weapons, they wound sometimes.”

Ever heard that saying?

The truth is that words are powerful. They can inspire, excite and motivate or they can damage and destroy.

The words you use can change lives for the better or for the worse.

You get to choose.

Every time you open your mouth and speak you get to decide what you say. When you pick up a pen you get to choose what you write. When you type a message on your computer or phone you get to arrange the letters in any order you choose.

A single sentence can change the course of your life.

Don’t believe me? Ask Gerald Ratner about the day he called his business’ products “total crap”.

He went from profits of £112 million to being £122 million in debt.

Those words resulted in the closure of 330 shops and families losing their incomes.

On the flip side, there are countless songwriters and authors. People who changed their lives for the better by they words they shared.

And there are people like Martin Luther King Jr, Winston Churchill, Rosa Parks and Nelson Mandela. They changed the world with their words.

How about you?

What words have you shared today?

And were they your words or someone else’s?

I’m not asking that to judge you.

I’m asking because I often get asked to write words for other people. Sometimes I say yes, but there is always a catch when I do.

The person I’m helping must be an ACTIVE part of the process.

For example, they will create the first draft. I may them so coaching to help, but I won’t write the first draft for them.

Also, they must always approve the final copy.

Why? Because the text has to sound like them.

Sure, you can outsource the writing process. You can outsource the creation of your messages. But to me that makes about as much sense as outsourcing your sex life.