Words have power. Those three words speak volumes. But the manner in which you express yourself carries even more weight.

In 2018, IKEA conducted an experiment involving children and plants. Their goal was to see the impact of words on living things. They set up two identical plants in a school building and invited children to offer words of kindness to one and words of insult to the other. The two plants received the same amount of light, food and water for 30 days. While the plant that received kind, loving words was thriving at month’s end, the bullied plant was droopy and wilted.

As Karen Salmansohn has said, “If speaking kindly to plants helps them grow, imagine what speaking kindly to humans can do.”

Words have power. Our words become our children’s inner voices. Likewise, our words affect those around us in ways we might never be able to fully understand. They also have the immense power to affect our perception of ourselves.

Speak kindly. Speak softly. Spread love.