The Power of Words - And the Choice We Forget We Have

Have you ever gone back to something you loved as a child - maybe a vacation spot, a favorite movie, or even an amusement park - and realized it’s nothing like you remembered?

The thing itself hasn’t changed.

But you have.

That’s what happened to me a few days ago when I picked up a spiritual book I first read years ago.

Back then, I devoured it - reading it over and over, trying to absorb every word.

This time?

I noticed something different.

Instead of simply soaking it in, I caught myself questioning, deciding what rang true for me and what didn’t.

Some parts still resonated, but the strongest reaction I had was to what I didn’t agree with: the idea that other people hold so much power over us with their words.

Words are powerful, no question.

They can heal or they can wound.

They can build bridges or burn them down.

As children, when we’re soaking in everything around us without the ability to discern truth, the words spoken to us shape our core beliefs.

Harsh phrases like “You’re not good enough” or “You’ll never make it” often sink in before we know how to question them.

Without realizing it, those words shape the beliefs we carry into adulthood - beliefs that quietly hold us back until we finally turn inward and decide to question them.

But as adults?

That’s where the shift happens.

Because now, we get to choose.

It’s not always easy - especially in a world where social media amplifies criticism and cruelty in an instant - but someone else’s words only carry the weight we allow them to.

The reminder I took from re-reading that book is this: we hold the ultimate power over the words spoken to us.

We can filter them.

We can decide which ones to keep and which ones to release.

We can hear criticism and say: That doesn’t belong to me. That’s not my truth.

And here’s the piece we often forget: it’s not just about how we respond to the words of others - it’s about how we speak to ourselves.

Because the truth is, most of us don’t need outside critics.

We’ve internalized those voices and learned to do the job ourselves.

We whisper things like, “You should be further along by now,” or “Why can’t you ever get it right?” without even noticing.

But just as we can reject someone else’s unkind words, we can also rewrite the script of our own inner dialogue.

We can become the voice of encouragement we longed for as children.

We can practice being our own best friend, our own life coach, our own safe place.

We can offer ourselves the words we most needed to hear:

You’re doing great.

I’m proud of you.

You’ve got this.

You are enough.

The world isn’t always gentle.

People will project their own pain, fear, and insecurities onto others.

Remember, your word isn’t just about what you speak - it’s also about what you allow in, and what you choose to speak to yourself.

That’s the practice.

Every single day, we get to choose:

👉 Replay the criticism… or rewrite the script.

👉 Let someone else’s voice - or our own inner critic - define us… or return to our truth.

And that truth is always the same:

I am worthy. I am whole. I am enough.

Deepen this practice even more with this week's Mindful Moments Guided Meditation: Golden Shield: Healing and Protecting Your Heart .

Because we can let go of what isn't ours to carry.