Book 92 - A Year of Magical Learning

Reflection Title – Always Be Impeccable with Your Words

Book - Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life: Life-Changing Tools for Healthy by Relationships by Marshall Rosenberg

Book Description: Nonviolent Communication explains how focusing on people’s underlying needs and making observations instead of judgments can revolutionize the way you interact with anybody, even your worst enemies. It is the integration of four things: Consciousness: a set of principles that support living a life of compassion, collaboration, courage, and authenticity. Language: understanding how words contribute to connection or distance. Communication: knowing how to ask for what we want, how to hear others even in disagreement, and how to move toward solutions that work for all. Means of influence: sharing “power with others” rather than using “power over others”

Reflection:

The first agreement of the book, The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom, is to always be impeccable with your words. In Nonviolent Communication, we see a way in which being impeccable with your words can impact the world. Words matter! How we communicate with each other matters. As a matter of fact, words might be the only thing that matters really when it comes to the success of ourselves and our species. It is one of our human superpowers. I don’t think any of the amazing accomplishments of humanity would have been possible without the power of our words as a way to organize and create something from nothing.

I’m still baffled by the thought of the first human speaking the first words to another human. How did this even happen? It would have to started with that one person first being able to communicate with themselves in their own mind. Someone figured out how to define their own thoughts, ideas, and imagination in a way that they could make sense of the world around them. That is remarkable on its own, but we didn’t stop there. We then somehow figured out a way to express the dialogue going on in our minds to another human through verbal cues that allowed them to understand and exchange thoughts. That ultimately evolved into words, then language, and helped us to become the most dominant animal species in this world. It is truly remarkable and a gift that should be cherished by all.

With anything as powerful as words, which has the ability to change worlds, we all have to be taught how and why to use them effectively. That is what this Year of Magical Learning has been doing for me, and what books like Nonviolent Communication can do for us all. The better that we can communicate our thoughts, feelings, and needs with each other; the more fulfilling our lives will be for us all.

There is no limit to human potential if we work together and communicate. We can only do this through utilizing our words more effectively. So, remember to always be impeccable with your words as they are your superpower.

Question: How often do you stop and think about the power of your words?

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Links:

What is The Year of Magical Learning? An Introduction

YOML Podcast Discussion - Nonviolent Communication

YOML Bookstore - Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life: Life-Changing Tools for Healthy by Relationships by Marshall Rosenberg