“The words you speak become the house you live in.” So said the 14th century Persian poet Hafiz in an observation that has withstood the centuries. The image Hafiz offers inspires me to let my positive life begin with the words that pass my lips.
What, after all, is a house? It is a place where we spend a great deal of our time. It is filled with things we choose to surround ourselves with. It is a place we return to, after work, after travel, after being out in the world. It is a place of rest, of sustenance, and of relationships—with family, friends or our own good company.
It is a dwelling, whether it is rented, owned, remote, urban or in a large building. And even though few of us have physically constructed a house, we can all experience ours as a place that we get to create for ourselves—especially when we consider Hafiz’s idea that the words we speak become our very dwelling places.
Here are four simple ways I try to cultivate positive speech every day.
1) Seizing opportunities to pay genuine compliments to people
2) Being sure to greet people with a positive word or a simple “hello”
3) Saying “please” and “thank you” when ordering a cup of coffee in a café
4) Speaking kindly to myself, gently reminding myself to come away from negative self-talk
Maybe you can add to this list? Or maybe today you will begin to rebuild your house with positive, loving words.
