Speak with Impeccability About Others
AFFIRMATIONS
for
Meditation and Reflection
I am in control of the words I use; I have mastered speaking truth and affirming life.
I am only speaking words that build self-esteem and self-confidence, that build positive relationships and realized dreams.
I choose to speak with impeccability; my words are truthful and have the power to uplift and affirm other people’s worth.
Impeccability of the word can lead you to personal freedom, to huge success and abundance; it can take away all fear and transform it into joy and love.
—DON MIGUEL RUIZ
Author of The Four Agreements
Everything you say produces an effect in the world and everything you say to someone else produces an effect in that person. You are constantly creating either something positive or something negative with your words.
Successful people know that if they don’t have control and power over their words, their words will have control and power over them. They know that to be more successful, their words need to build people up, not tear them down. They are conscious of the thoughts they think and the words they speak.
Words are also the basis of all relationships—how I speak to you and about you determines the quality of our relationship. When you speak words of love and acceptance, you will experience love back. When you express judgment and contempt, you will be judged back. Learn to speak with impeccability—find words that are true, that affirm other people’s worth, or keep silent.
I am in control of the words I use; I have mastered speaking truth and affirming life.
Have you ever thought about the outcome when you say something about another person? In today’s world of cyberbullying and online gossiping, it is all too easy to post rumors about someone else or unwittingly disclose personal information online or add pejorative labels. What people casually (or viciously) type often stays online forever.
This kind of language—often done anonymously—is not only hurtful to someone else, it brings you down in the moment and creates a general demeanor of spite and maliciousness that works its way into other areas of your life. This result is why spiritual teachers and writers throughout history have warned us against gossip, judging others, and speaking with malice. It hurts you, too, because it keeps you in a toxic frame of mind—preventing the good you want in your life from showing up.
When you speak badly of someone, it also leaves a lasting impression of you on others. People will always wonder when they will be the next target of your verbal poison.
To avoid these outcomes, focus the power of your words on appreciating other people’s positive qualities rather than criticizing their faults.
I am only speaking words that build self-esteem and self-confidence, that build positive relationships and realized dreams.
One final but crucial point about speaking with impeccability: stop lying, even telling so-called harmless “white lies” and lies of omission.
Lying separates you from your higher self. Plus, you erode others’ trust in you when you’re found out. The fact is, lying is characteristic of low self-esteem. It’s the result of your erroneous belief that you can’t handle people knowing the truth about you. And that, unfortunately, is just another way of saying “I am not enough.” Additionally, often times when we lie, we’re afraid to face the result we’ll get from telling the truth. We don’t want to deal with the emotional reaction of our spouse, the censure of our boss, or the denial of our request from a retailer, agency, or official.
Why go through the psychological turmoil of lying? Why worry about being found out or suffer the setback to your self-esteem when you knowingly lie or live with the distrust you’ve created when someone recognizes that you’re lying? Be at ease by speaking with honesty and integrity instead.
I choose to speak with impeccability; my words are truthful and have the power to uplift and affirm other people’s worth.