Friday, October 7, 2011

Building an Arsenal of Influential Power One Word at a Time

Words are powerful, whether they are written or spoken. In this sentence I can write just one word that would offend you and cause you to stop reading and never look at my blog again, or I could choose a word or phrase that would set of a chain of mental events that cause you to experience a sense of curiosity, nostalgia, or pleasure that will have you eager to read more. That is the power of words, and we all recognize when we hear a good speaker or read a skillful writer because we feel that anticipation, "Oh, this is gonna be good ...."

Conversely, we also recognize right away when we are in for a cringing session of empathy: The comedian on stage who is bombing, a story your friend wrote that is fraught with spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors, and asks you for your "honest" opinion. These experiences are dramatically different and we look forward to hearing that inspirational speaker who's words are enunciated and articulated with confidence, and to being whisked away by the writer whose power of words creates entire worlds that we can escape to.

So, what is my point? you ask, as I have merely pointed out the obvious. My point is precisely this, there are many ways in which one can obtain and exercise power, however, while there are only a few who can achieve power through means of wealth, most of us have the ability to speak or write, and as words cost virtually nothing we can call upon them at anytime and anyplace to do our bidding. All that is required to fully realize their power and make it ours is to take the time learn and appreciate them. Try and learn a new word each day and add to your arsenal of influential power.

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