The Power of Words

This was recently passed on to me by good friend David Blumenkrantz and really shows the power of words, particularly in changing behavior. This particularly impactful when thinking about the words of one of our student presenters who tells a story about something asked him and the negative consequence on his life. At the time he was a struggling 9th grader who would show up do school but do little else in terms of effort and participation. He was finally approached by one of his teachers that asked him "why do you even show up to school?" The student openly recognizes that the teacher was probably trying to be supportive and that their words were meant to be somewhere in the realm of "you're already here, why not try?" But that was not what he initially heard or realized and when asked the question, he thought about it and his answer helped lead to him dropping out. He is now a regular presenter in our Developmental Assets presentations and is involved in a number of leadership activities both in and out of school. But for a time when he needed our help the most, someone chose the right notion but the wrong words and the consequences were very significant.

So if anything, let the video and this story remind me us that "language is consciousness" and how we can be more thoughtful in the way we communicate with each other over the course of the day (and particuarly toward our young people).