I’m in Houston right now doing what I can to assist in the clean-up following Hurricane Harvey.  The damage is widespread and enormous but the full impact is still unknown.  Seeing something like this first hand makes me wonder about the damage to the human spirit.  What tools, even small ones, can people use to find the strength to move forward?

As many of you know, I’m a firm believer in the power of the tapes we play in our heads.  The way we talk to ourselves – in good times and bad – often determines our outcomes.  My new friend Bruce Pulver just wrote Above the Chatter, Our Words Matter that addresses this idea in a new way.

Bruce tells of a time when he lost his job and knew he would need to be strong for himself and his family. During this crisis period, words would come to him and he would figure out how to take one and use it – or live it – each day.  Here are two of his examples:

STRONG

Stand

Tall

Remain

Optimistic

Now

Go (for it)

YES I CAN

You

Expect

Success

In

Challenging

Activities

NOW!

Here’s mine for this week:

Houston

Already

Registers

Victory.

Encouraged?

Yes!

Our words DO matter.  If you need a little something to lift you up right now, give Bruce’s book a try!