Everybody is Somebody

"Chanda, you should think before you speak. Be careful what you say to people because words can hurt, and everybody is somebody!" These are the exact words that my mother tells me everytime I get angry with someone, and I'm spewing out every insult that enters my brain. I'm not going to lie. When I'm angry with a person, or they have gotten on my last nerve, it feels great to tell them exactly how I feel. My motto used to be, "If you make me mad, you are definitely going to pay for it." Most of the time, the first insult that came to my brain would be the first one that rolled off my tongue. For years, I had been doing this same thing because I didn't care. All that mattered to me was my well-being and the people closest to me. For a while I thought it was okay, and I thought that I wasn't doing anything wrong. I didn't have the slightest clue that my wise mother actually knew what she was talking about.

A wise man once said, "Watch what you say to others." "Words can hurt, and they can even leave scars." I began to think about all of the mean things that I had said to people when they made me angry time and time again. I never thought about other people and their feelings. I was only worried about how I felt and getting even. I began to realize that hurting other people wasn't going to make me happy in the end. Then, the way that I had hurt others began to hurt me. Talk about karma, huh? At that moment, I knew that I had to change the way that I had been talking to others.

I finally made a decision to watch what I say to others, and to find a different way to express my feelings. I knew it wouldn't be an easy task. I knew it would take strong self-will and determination. As a matter of fact, I am still searching to find good ways to express my feelings positively. I'm okay with this because I know who I am and what I'm capable of. This task is a lifetime goal. The good part of this is knowing that I am becoming a better person. Instead of knocking people doiwn with unnecessary insults, I am building them up with words of kindness and confidence. Therefore I am striving to bless others rather than curse them.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still the same "tell it like it is 'Chanda." Although when I tell it like it is now, I speak the truth using affirmative words. Hopefully with my strategy, I'm helping to make the world a better place. However if my efforts don't go that far, I will know that I have tried. When was the last time you hurt someone with your words? Was it really worth it? Everybody is somebody, this I believe.