According to Dictionary.com, a word is : "a unit of language, consisting of one or more spoken sounds". An individual word is just a tiny part of the English Language to most people. Meaningless, insignificant. Or maybe not.

Have you ever thought about how your words can affect someone? Have you ever thought that one word can completely change a person's life? No? Most people haven't. We all have too much on our minds to think about what one word means. So stop. Slow down. And think about what you're going to say and who you're going to say it to.

Have you ever been talking to a person and thought about them? I don't mean just what they're saying or wearing or look like. But who they are. Who they are when they're with their friends, when they're alone, or when they're around strangers. What have they been through? Were they bullied as a child? Do they have a low self esteem? Or are they extremely confident and outgoing? Everyone carries with them a story, a background, a past that you know nothing about. The perfect girl who just walked past you might have struggled with an eating disorder. The handsome guy in your math class might have an extremely low self confidence and been bullied as a child. What's on the outside doesn't ever reflect what's on the inside. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE comes with baggage.

So the next time you gossip about someone or use them as your scapegoat, or put them at the butt of your joke, remember that. They have lived a life that you could potentially know nothing about. Because one word can change a person's day.

Instead of knocking people down, raise them up. Instead of hurling insults, hurl compliments. Instead of gossiping about someone, tell your friends how cool you think someone is or how cute their outfit was. One word can really change a person's life and the only thing separating two words might just be their connotation: negative or positive. Always strive for positive. Because believe it or not, one word can make or break you. Whether that word is "fat" or "skinny", whether that word is "beautiful" or "ugly". It's the little things in life that makes a difference.

So the next time you turn towards negativity, think about how you could turn that thought in a positive direction. Others will thank you and believe it or not, you'll probably thank yourself. No good deed goes unpunished.