People say that as long as you’re coming from a place of love, you can convey just about anything. We can feel it! When a message is coming to us from someone in fear, judgment, or anything else, we can feel that too!
Still, we get confused when we use what we think are the right words. We wonder, “how can anyone be upset when we’ve said just the right thing”? We’re not just verbal creatures. We’re also sensory and emotional creatures. So we feel or somehow pick up what someone is feeling when they’re communicating through more than just words.
I don’t expect to get it right all the time. Even if I am motivated by the purest of intention, I’m communicating with a human being who’s had their own unique experiences, and has their own interpretation of things. We are complex creatures. One simple thing someone one told me once that takes this idea of perspective into account, and often helps, is: before I write or say anything, if at all possible, care about the other person. That’s where I start.