Use Your Words Wisely | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Relationships

Use Your Words Wisely

After hearing a session on what the word "hope" really means, I started to think about how I use my words.

41
Use Your Words Wisely
pexels

What does the word “hope” mean to you? I know many of us, myself included, use it to refer to something we are wishing for.

I always hear phrases such as, “I hope I win the lottery,” or “I hope that you can come hangout tonight.”

What these phrases say is, “I am wishing for this to happen.” There is no certainty that these things will occur.

That is the problem with people using the word hope—we continue to misuse it. If you look at the original, archaic definition of hope in the Merriam-Webster dictionary, you’ll see it means “trust.”

The word hope was intended to mean something different than it does today; it was meant to stand for trusting that something in the near future will happen, not wishing.

During my Character Camp experience as a mom, we went over the definition of hope in one of the training sessions. Sheryl Haile, professor of psychology, explained that hope is a certainty. She said hope is knowing that something will happen in future.

Haile used the example of Jesus to explain what hope truly meant. Haile said Jesus is our hope. We believe he is our savior, and we hope (trust) he will come back to take us to Heaven.

When Haile said this, it resonated with me.

The word hope is such a deep, meaningful word. It is used to describe someone so significant: Jesus. The weight of its definition alone is intense, and yet, it is a word we take it for granted nearly every time we use it to wishfully foreshadow simple events like “hanging out.”

After the training session, I completely changed the way I use the word hope, but it did not stop there. What Haile said also caused me to think about how I use all words. The training session motivated me to change my vocabulary.

I have committed myself to stop using words like “literally” all the time. I try to avoid overusing words that, not too long ago, produced a powerful statement when used. I continue to alter my vocabulary so that each time I speak, my words hold weight and meaning behind them.

I want to truly mean what I say, so now when I remember the phrase “think before you speak,” it holds a new meaning behind it.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Gilmore Girls
Hypable

In honor of Mother’s Day, I have been thinking of all the things my mom does for my family and me. Although I couldn’t write nearly all of them, here are a few things that moms do for us.

They find that shirt that’s right in front of you, but just you can’t seem to find.

Keep Reading...Show less
Relationships

10 Reasons To Thank Your Best Friend

Take the time to thank that one friend in your life you will never let go of.

1083
Thank You on wooden blocks

1. Thank you for being the one I can always count on to be honest.

A true friend will tell you if the shirt is ugly, or at least ask to borrow it and "accidentally" burn it.

2. Thank you for accepting me for who I am.

A best friend will love you regardless of the stale french fries you left on the floor of your car, or when you had lice in 8th grade and no one wanted to talk to you.

Keep Reading...Show less
sick student
StableDiffusion

Everybody gets sick once in a while, but getting sick while in college is the absolute worst. You're away from home and your mom who can take care of you and all you really want to do is just be in your own bed. You feel like you will have never-ending classwork to catch up on if you miss class, so you end up going sick and then it just takes longer to get better. Being sick in college is really tough and definitely not a fun experience. Here are the 15 stages that everyone ends up going through when they are sick at college.

Keep Reading...Show less
kid
Janko Ferlic
Do as I say, not as I do.

Your eyes widen in horror as you stare at your phone. Beads of sweat begin to saturate your palm as your fingers tremble in fear. The illuminated screen reads, "Missed Call: Mom."

Growing up with strict parents, you learn that a few things go unsaid. Manners are everything. Never talk back. Do as you're told without question. Most importantly, you develop a system and catch on to these quirks that strict parents have so that you can play their game and do what you want.

Keep Reading...Show less
friends
tv.com

"Friends" maybe didn’t have everything right or realistic all the time, but they did have enough episodes to create countless reaction GIFs and enough awesomeness to create, well, the legacy they did. Something else that is timeless, a little rough, but memorable? Living away from the comforts of home. Whether you have an apartment, a dorm, your first house, or some sort of residence that is not the house you grew up in, I’m sure you can relate to most of these!

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments