The Power of Words

We use millions of words every day. Some of us use many more than we should, and almost all of us regret the way we use words at one time or another. (Ever utter the phrase, “I don’t know why I said that?”)

I first thought about the power of words when I remembered something I said as a child. One time as my girlfriends and I were playing and like little girls sometimes do, we started bragging about all the things we were going to claim for our adult lives. I exclaimed, “I am going to have four children one day.” I said it was such certainty. I don’t know where it came from. It was a silly statement made by a clueless ten-year-old. Or, was it?

Almost 40 years later, when my fourth child was a toddler, I remembered that moment. It seemed less like a memory and more like a whisper from the universe saying, “You see, you did it!” In that moment, I realized there’s something greater at work in our lives than just our random thoughts and fleeting desires. Perhaps what we want is not solely about us, but a prompting from a greater force using us in the world in ways we don't fully understand.

There have been other events in my adult life I couldn't figure out how to bring to fruition and in time I again heard that whisper: “You see? You wanted it and it came to you...”

Granted, most things we want require us to take action. But I believe most manifestation gurus would agree that there is a momentum set in motion by the magic of verbally claiming something. Most people agree there's some truth in the adage, "Be careful what you wish for."

Dr. Tererai Trent is a Zimbabwean-American woman whose story first broke on an Oprah Winfrey episode. She was a child bride who grew up in a village that discouraged education for girls. When she realized her dream was to obtain a doctorate degree and live in America, she wrote it down and buried it in her village under a rock. Today, the realization of that dream has brought her international fame.

Asking for something with faith and certainty, otherwise known as prayer, is central to most religions. Maybe this is why simply claiming something we want can be difficult; it requires faith which clashes with our roll-up-your-sleeves, "I-can-do-it-myself," American individualism. The bottom line? There is a force on our side when we want something and we claim it.

For anyone reading this who is perhaps feeling cheated because you sorely wanted something in life that you do not see as possible, I say two things: one, keep waiting. In the words of Eden Phillpotts, “The universe is…patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.” Your desire is going to come to you, you just don’t see how yet. And I know this because you didn't put it there! (Think about that for a moment.)

Secondly, are you standing in the way of your dream? As crazy as this sounds, we often go unaware of our self-sabotage. Sometimes, we feel our hands are tied but there is always something we can do, even if it is to get a book and learn more about what we want or how someone else achieved it. Difficult times prompt us in such ways to become better versions of ourselves as we wait for our purpose to unfold.

Waiting for what we want is one of the first lessons of life we all learn, but it continues to be hard because it directly challenges our faith moment by moment. Do we believe we are good enough for what we want? Do we believe there is a force working for our good, in life? If there is, what is taking it so long? It's possible the universe is waiting for you to wrestle with these questions. On the other side of that mental grappling is the gift of a different vantage point. That’s what age affords us after all, a higher perspective on the mountain from which to look down and say, “Ah, now I see why that road had to be taken…”

The power of claiming what we want is directly related to our sense of purpose and fulfillment. Think of it as the turning of a key.

Perhaps you've gotten so wrapped up in current obligations that you aren't even sure of what you want. Matthew Kelly, in his best-selling book, Perfectly Yourself Discovering God's Dream For You, emphasizes the importance of sitting in silence to discover your greater purpose. Most of us neglect this in the busyness of everyday life. Some hide from it. It takes courage to explore the wilderness of your inner self.

I wonder how much more power we could wield in life if we prioritized our desires, no holds barred? Of all the wheels you're spinning, grinding every day just to keep afloat, remember that saying what you want can make all the difference in where you end up. Could it really be as simple as that?!