Do you realize that depending on how things are said, people can become anyone?

People are,

more than they realize,

shaped by the words of those around them.

More than their actual abilities,

more than their actual personalities,

how they are spoken to,

determines how they perceive themselves.

Even with the same actions,

the meaning changes depending on how it is said.

Someone who is constantly told, "You're inefficient,"

will start to think of themselves as clumsy.

But,

if they are constantly told, "You're thorough,"

that same person can think of themselves as sincere.

Even though the facts haven't changed,

just by changing the words,

A person's outline can be easily rewritten.

At work,

at school,

at home,

I have seen that difference many times.

People who are consistently spoken to carelessly,

gradually speak less.

They lose their confidence,

and start to think, 'I'm just not good enough anyway.'

Conversely,

even with just a single word,

people who are treated with care,

look forward with surprising resilience.

People,

don't necessarily want to be praised.

They don't necessarily want to be put on a pedestal either.

It's just that,

I don't want my potential to be carelessly crushed.

"That's impossible."

"You won't stick with it anyway."

"It's not for you."

When you keep being told things like that,

a person really,

becomes exactly that kind of person.

But,

"Why don't you give it a try?"

"You might actually be good at it."

"I don't think that way of thinking is bad."

With just that,

a person can,

imagine a slightly different future.

Words have

the power to bind people,

and the power to set them free.

And what is frightening is that,

the person saying them,

is almost entirely unaware of that influence.

With a single unconscious remark,

you might shut down someone's potential,

or with a single unconscious remark,

you might lighten someone's life.

That is why I,

when observing human relationships,

have come to pay close attention to how people phrase things.

More than what is being said,

it is how it is being said.

Because I feel that,

how that person treats others,

reveals everything about them.

Depending on how you say it,

anyone can become anything.

If that is true,

at the very least,

towards myself,

I want to stop using careless language.

If I'm going to say anything at all,

I want to use words that leave a little room for possibility,

and direct them toward myself.

With just that,

a person can,

find life just a little bit easier to live.