If You Change Your Words . . .

In 2010, Andrea Gardner and her team at Purple Feather (a copywriting and marketing agency) created The Power of Words, a video that went viral on YouTube. Millions of views (and tears) later, it is still going strong. The film was a brilliant piece in regards to the importance of words, but it tapped into something deeper; something spiritual.

The film is a powerful reminder that words frame and create "perspective"; not only for listeners & readers but also for speakers & writers. We see in the video that when the blind man's sign was changed from a "hopeless" plea for help to a "declaration of insight and truth", the proclamation of "It's a beautiful day" became a reality. People that read the sign suddenly realize how privileged they were to "see" that day in all it's beauty. And they wanted to bless someone who couldn't see it in the way they did, so they gave.

Everyone came away blessed because some words on a sign were changed.

The Bible has many passages that describe the power of our words. I like the one below a lot. It causes me to stop and think about what's coming out of my mouth. What kind of harvest will my words produce? It makes me want to say things that are "bountiful" and "healthy".

"From the fruit of their mouth a person’s stomach is filled;

with the harvest of their lips they are satisfied."

(Proverbs 18:20)

Changing the way we speak or think about things is always a challenge;

so I will close with a clever, short video from Andrea Gardner that has a great idea for some real-life application. This is for all of us, but it is especially for those of us who are not "morning people" . . .

(Let me know if you end up resetting your alarm afterwards!)

NOTE: The story of "The Power of Words" on the Purple Feather website includes the following explanation regarding the content creation.

"The video draws on concepts and ideas that have been around in various forms for years and we have always credited it as a direct homage to 'The Story of a Sign' by Alonso Alverez Barreda. Its success lies in its brevity, emotional music, its powerful message and the reminder that we can change our worlds by changing our words."

* Click HERE to see "The Story of a Sign".