Mark Merrill writes a blog about being a better husband and father. His topic Friday was on “toxic words.” You can read it here >>
He advised there are five kinds of words that will poison your marriage. They are:
Sarcastic words
Unsupportive words
Disrespectful words
Comparing words
Selfish words
No question the use of such words is bad for marriages. As I read them, the images that came to mind were of managers I’ve worked with through the years that were in difficult situations because of toxic words.
Toxic words tear down relationships by undermining confidence. Toxic words destroy team morale. Toxic words create tension. Toxic words cause distrust. Toxic words create indifference. All those things don’t make for a good marriage. They are also bad for business.
Are you sarcastic? Most use sarcasm for laughs. Most of the time the laugh is at someone’s expense.
Do you encourage actively? Or do you often express words of doubt in others’ abilities that seem unsupportive?
How about respect? Is that you? Do you maintain your composure? Correct with care? Maintain patience with others when progress is slow?
Do you diminish someone’s contribution by comparing it to others’ achievements?
Do you show a positive, “servant” attitude to others or are you more concerned about you and the credit you deserve?
Take an inventory. Perhaps there are times when your toxic words have caused some harm.
Reach out. Make amends. Vow to remove toxic words from your vocabulary.
