A Thousand Words…

Readers,

Let me first say I write to you now as a graduate of the University of North Florida.

Now onto more important things I just watched “A Thousand Words”, starring Eddie Murphy and let me tell you silence truly is powerful. If you were given a tree that lost a leaf for every word you said and when the last tree fell and the tree died you died with it, what would you say? Would you give the answer to the question a teacher asked? Tell a long-time friend “Happy Birthday,”? Or tell someone how much you love them? What it really comes down to is understanding the importance of not just who we speak to, but what it is we say. It’s a common misconception that you have to say a lot to get your point across. There’s a reason I used the word “misconception” because you don’t need to say a lot to convey a message. The best messages are conveyed simply and concisely. The ability to give information to others without being too wordy is an art that has become lost with the times. Nowadays people only want to hear themselves talk and often don’t get to hear what others have to say. Meaningful conversation has been placed on the back-burner and replaced with short-handed text messages. Society has truly become a place where we either say too much or no one speaks to anyone at all. Well readers, here’s my challenge to you: take a week, a day or even a few hours and truly think about what you’re saying to people. Be critical in your word choice and only say what needs to be said. More importantly listen to those around you, the responses you hear will let you know if your messages was delivered. 

So the next time you speak to a friend, loved one or significant other, pretend what you say may be the last time you get speak to them. That doesn’t mean say everything under the sun rather say what truly matters and what you want them to hear. 

Until next time…