Choose What Sticks

For some reason, I can remember the negative words people have said to me more clearly.

The offhand comment.
The criticism that stung.
The sentence that made me question myself.

I can replay those almost word-for-word.

But the kind things? The encouragement? The “I believe in you” moments? Those are harder for me to recall. I often remember how they made me feel, but I don’t always remember the actual words.

For some reason, it hit me the other day. Why is it that the words that hurt seem to stick so easily, but the words that built us up fade?

I replay the negative ones. I analyze them, wondering if they’re true, and maybe I memorize them without meaning to. It frustrates me that they have so much power, while words of encouragement and support don’t get the same treatment.

Sometimes, I wish I could go back and read those words exactly as they were said. I wish I had written them down. I wish I had kept them somewhere safe instead of trusting my memory to hold onto them forever.

How many times have you found a card with kind words, read it, and felt the same feelings return?

It’s strange how our minds work.

The words that hurt us feel permanent at times.
The words that built us up fade, even though they mattered more.

Maybe holding onto kind words isn’t just about being sentimental. Maybe it’s about being intentional. If our minds naturally cling to what hurt us, perhaps we need to choose to protect what has strengthened us. To write it down and keep it somewhere safe so we can return to it when doubt starts to speak louder. You get to choose which words remain — and the ones that have strengthened you deserve to stay.