It’s a Selfie!

I’m amazed how many people take pictures looking in the mirror. Do you think they wanted to have their picture taken so badly that they couldn’t wait for someone else to do it? I don’t think that it is the case because sometimes there is more than one person in the picture.

This year “selfie” receives the honor as Word of the Year by Oxford Dictionaries. A selfie is, according to Oxford Dictionaries, “A photograph that one has taken of oneself, typically one taken with a smartphone or webcam and uploaded to a social media website.” Although the word selfie made its advent by an inebriated man in Australia in 2002 who fell, busted his lip,took a self-portrait and sent it his friends labeling it as such, it has gained more popularity within the last couple of year. Now millions take selfie photographs and post them all over the Internet—Facebook, Instagram, etc. They have even gotten some high profile people in trouble.

Words fascinate me primarily because they appear to have a life of their own. I think that we take them for granted because they are a part of our everyday vernacular. We use them without much deliberation about their origin or their impact. We may hear someone use a word and over time it becomes a part of our everyday usage, like selfie has done.

It is fascinating watching children learn new words. Parents are so excited when they say their first words which are usually “Mama” or “Dada”. The way the parents act you would think they have just given the presidential address. Quickly young children evolve from the one word chants impressing their parents to incessant chatter causing the parents to say, “Could you please be quiet?” Weren’t these the same people who were ecstatic that this child identified them?

Words invade our lives in such a way that we are not aware of their invasion. I’m always intrigued about the algorithms of words and how they appear to attract each other. This law of attraction has become more apparent over time. I may say a word or may be reading, and all of a sudden someone on television will say the exact word. This has happened too many times for it to be a mere coincidence and sometimes it is such an odd word that it makes me say, “Uhmmm.”

Our words have power. Life and death are inherent in words. We’ve all heard that whatever you say is what you will attract. There is something to be said about the words we use and how we use them. Like a selfie, our words illustrate a snapshot of who we are for all the word to see. In essence, we are what we speak. Negative words result in a negative snapshot; as positive words result in a positive one. You determine the snapshot of yourself. Do you want a dirty mouth or a clean one?

The usage of profanity has become so widespread that the notion of proper etiquette was thrown out the window a long time ago. From the young to the old you hear expletives hurled like nobody’s business. These profane babblings have a negative effect on our lives. It appears as though we have become insensitive to them as more and more people, regardless of age, race, gender or ethnicity, cavalierly toss them around.

I’ve become very sensitive to the words I use, even in idle conversation. Our words frame our world and they are a representation of the image we want to project. Our daily vernacular either builds us up or destroys us. Faith words bring life and fear-based ones don’t. It is as simple as that.

What selfie will you snap today? Negative or positive? Life or death? Faith or fear?

Your snapshot for success begins now! Contact me for a complimentary coaching session @ The ME Place Mentor Empowerment Institute.

Scriptures

His mouth is full of cursing and deceit and false words: under his tongue are evil purposes and dark thoughts. Psalms 10:7 (BBE)

Keep your tongue from saying evil things and your lips from speaking deceitful thingsPsalms 34:13 (GW)

A wholesome tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness therein is a breach in the spirit. Prov 15:4 (KJV)

Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.Prov 18:21 (KJV)

Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles. Prov 21:23 (KJV)

For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: 1 Peter 3:10 (KJV)

Prayer

Father, You stepped out on nothing and created a world with Your words of life. Bless me to respect others with my words and refrain from cussing in front of youngsters, the elderly and others. Bless me to create a world with life generating words that build up and do not tear down. Every word I utter will be a snapshot of an abundant life of limitless possibilities.  Amen.