|
Sound Mind Enterprises, Inc. |
December, 2007 Issue 1 |
|
||
|
Life is very short; all we have is this moment right now. We need to embrace those around us lavishly with love and tenderness and kindness. The way that we conduct ourselves right now determines how we will feel about ourselves one day when all is revealed. Make these moments count and be the very best that you can be. The people you are in touch with everyday matter. If you take a moment to say something kind, it will leave a lasting and positive impression. It can only do you good.
Do yourself a favor this Holiday season. Pick up a Bible and read about the reason we celebrate this time of year. You can find one of the finest stories in the history of this world in the New Testament in the book of Luke, chapters 1 and 2.
From my heart to yours, Merry Christmas and a very happy and healthy New Year!
Linda |
||
|
“If You Don’t Have Anything Nice To Say…”
You know the rest, “…don’t say anything at all!” My mother was the all time best preacher. She was a woman of few words but when she said something she was really out with it. “Grouch and complain, grouch and complain, all you kids do is grouch and complain” was another favorite. It’s beginning to sound like us kids were a bunch of negative gossips. Well, we probably were and I’m glad I can still hear those words of hers ringing in my mind. She was making us aware that we needed to pay attention to what we were mindlessly spouting. I would look at her straight on and nod my head in agreement but in my mind I was rolling my eyes and then we would be off playing, and probably grouching and complaining! But now it hits me for real, I see the impact of words. Even those words of hers, spoken 40+ years ago to me, are fresh in my mind. I haven’t forgotten them (of course they were pretty well ingrained in my mind through constant repetition).
People don’t forget words… it’s not true that they “can’t hurt you”, indeed they can hurt a lot. I remember the fear when, one day in fourth grade on the way home from school on the bus I was bullied by some girl who just wanted to “beat me up”. She never did, it was just a bully’s threat, but I remember it. I never knew what I did to incite her and it perplexed me. 40 years ago and the incident never even happened and I remember the words and the threat.
I remember lots of things I have said to people that were hurtful to them as well. I’m sure they remember them too, and that’s embarrassing to me. Once those little words leave our tongues they enter the atmosphere… what can dissolve them? They travel right out of our mouths at the speed of, well… sound, and attach themselves to the hearer’s ears, then enter the brain at an alarmingly fast rate and then they stick like little arrows right into the memory of the brain. And you can’t get them out; no matter what you say next it won’t free those arrows. You may spend the rest of your life trying to undo those words, you could say you’re sorry a hundred times and they still cling in there and you will definitely pay for that mistake.
Perhaps forgiveness is the only thing that has power over words that have hurt, but even forgiveness isn’t forgetfulness. Jesus said we need to forgive 70 times 7. Why did He say that? Because He knew that after we forgive an offense, as soon as we remember it, we need to forgive it again… and again… and again. Consider this passage from the book of James in the Bible; “When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.” James 3: 3-10 (NIV) So it comes down to discipline. Earlier in the book of James we read this: “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.” James 1: 26 (NIV). Well, we may not be able to tame the tongue and always say everything right but we certainly must at least try to rein it in.
We are human and it is real likely that we will screw up from time to time. But what if we actually tried to do better? How about if we make a conscious effort to Speak Kind Words? And if we cannot muster up something kind, maybe we should think about not saying anything at all. I know why I’m the one that got this message so loud and clear in my life. I am among the offenders, I will be the first to admit that I need this message as much as anyone. I wear my own shirts everyday (that’s why I have made so many colors and styles, so I have variety in my wardrobe!). When I wear these shirts I am actually kinder. It is such a great reminder to me to be more careful of what I say. The beauty of it is that it also gives a message and a reminder to those around me to Speak Kind Words to me as well. The more I think about it all the more powerful it becomes. As I Speak Kind Words I see a change in myself. I find myself caring about others in a way I have never really considered before. It matters more to me what effect my words will have on them and I find myself wanting to encourage others. My religion is real and the way it shows is by my love and by my words.
Thanks Mom, it may have taken me a lifetime to understand the impact of the things you taught me, but those words of yours are still sticking in my memory and apparently they will never go away and for that I am thankful.
Speak Kind Words Joins the Revolution!
I am very pleased to announce that we have interfaced with AFRICA REVOLUTION and have pledged to give a portion of the proceeds from every product we sell to go toward the building of an orphanage in Africa. It is believed that by the year 2010 there will be 42 million orphans in Africa, many of whom have been left desolate and homeless due to disease, war, and the rampant spread of HIV/AIDS virus. I am compelled to make a difference in that number, and together we can make this a reality. Please visit their website at www.africarevolution.org.
“If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this; to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” James 1:26, 27 NIV
Speak Kind Words: Changing the world, one word at a time.
I am happy to announce 4 long-awaited new products!
So check out the store and see all the great new products, and when you order yours, be sure to send a photo of you wearing your Speak Kind Words product. Also, check out the testimonials page and feel free to send me your comments on how Speaking Kind Words has made a difference in your life… oh yes, it will make a difference in your life, but you will not know this until you do it! Practice makes perfect!
It seems really basic at first glance, when you first see a Speak Kind Words t-shirt. Your first impression may be, “Oh, what a great idea”, and before you know it you’ve simply categorized it into another “positive message” gimmick. If you like it enough you may buy one, and then the message begins to set in.
One of my customers told me that when she first received her t-shirt she was really convicted when she went to put it on. She had to ask herself if she was up to the challenge of wearing it, all of a sudden when she held it in her hands to slip it over her head she wondered if she could Speak Kind Words throughout the day. It caused her to look inside and examine herself and she realized she really hadn’t been careful about what was coming out of her mouth. She put it down.
She confessed, “Three days later I finally mustered up enough courage to wear it and that day I noticed a change in me. I was more considerate of others, in a funny way I cared when I had not even paid attention before. Even driving I was more tolerant and less angry at others on the road, now that’s a testimony for me!”
I have heard many similar stories; I myself have had the same experience. As I develop this company and work with the concept everyday I find myself actually looking into the eyes of those around me and caring how they feel. I am taking more time to think about my words and how they are affecting others. It is changing me; it is changing my whole family. It is giving me a whole new perspective both in my relationship to others and in my own self perception.
Do you need a t-shirt to remind you to Speak Kind Words? Maybe not, but I hear it over and over, “I’m different when I wear it!”
|
