IAMday: The Power of Words, A Century Later
One hundred years ago, Florence Scovel Shinn published The Game of Life and How to Play It. At first glance, it was a slim little volume—simple, unadorned, printed in the language of its time. Yet her words carried a current that has rippled outward across decades, generations, and now, across this very moment.
Florence believed that words are not casual decorations. They are forces. They create, shape, and call forth what we live. She once wrote, “Your word is your wand. The words you speak create your own destiny.” A century later, her declaration still resonates like a clear bell across the noise of modern life.
Why? Because words remain the bridge between the invisible and the visible. Every idea, every shift of heart, every awakening begins in thought—and takes form when we dare to give it voice.
Words That Shape Reality
In our world today, words move faster and travel further than Florence could ever have imagined. A single sentence can reach thousands within seconds. An affirmation whispered alone in the quiet of morning can ripple out in unexpected ways, influencing choices, shifting perspectives, and opening hearts.
But this is not only about what we say to ourselves. Florence insisted on the importance of speaking life, love, and abundance into the world and for others. When we speak words of encouragement, affirmation, and compassion, we create pathways where others can walk more freely. We widen the circle of possibility.
Think of the way a friend’s words have lifted you at just the right moment—or the way a teacher, a poet, or even a stranger’s sentence has stayed with you for years. These words become landmarks in our lives. They remind us who we are, and who we can become.
The Call to Share
As we approach IAMday on September 24th, we are not only remembering Florence—we are participating in her vision. To speak words of truth, kindness, and abundance is to carry her legacy forward. To share them publicly, or even simply with one other soul, is to multiply their power.
IAMday is not a day of solitary reflection, though reflection is part of it. It is a day when we invite each other into the practice of speaking words that awaken, heal, and empower. It is a day to remember that our voices belong not just to ourselves, but to the world.
Why Now Matters
We live in an age of endless messages, headlines, and chatter. Yet too often, the loudest words are those of division, fear, and scarcity. Florence knew that the antidote is not silence, but a different sound: words aligned with love.
When we choose words that remind us of our shared humanity, we create a counter-current. When we repeat affirmations that ground us in abundance, we loosen the grip of fear. When we tell each other stories of hope, kindness, and possibility, we weave a fabric strong enough to hold us all.
This is the deeper invitation of IAMday: to remember that speaking words of truth and kindness is not small work. It is the work of healing the world.
Feel Real Again
The theme we return to, again and again, is simple: Feel Real Again. These three words carry the essence of Florence’s century-old teaching into our own lives today.
To feel real again is to remember that we are not just consumers of noise, but creators of meaning. It is to speak with intention, to listen with presence, and to allow language to reawaken what is most human in us.
Florence gave us tools—affirmations, prayers, declarations—that remain as sharp and usable now as they were in 1925. But the true power lies not in memorizing her words alone. It lies in speaking them freshly, in our own voices, and in offering them outward to others.
When you say to someone, “You are enough,” or “I believe in your path,” you are echoing Florence’s truth. When you declare for yourself, “I walk in abundance,” or “I am awake to love,” you are part of the same lineage.
The Circle Widens
On September 24th, we will speak together. Across continents, time zones, and languages, voices will rise. Some will speak quietly in meditation. Others will share aloud on livestreams, in posts, in conversations with friends. Each word will matter. Each declaration will help someone else feel real again.
A hundred years from now, someone may look back on our words as their inheritance. Just as Florence’s words have reached us, our words will ripple forward.
The invitation is clear: Speak. Share. Declare. Not only for yourself, but for all of us.
On IAMday, may your words be a wand that builds a world of kindness, courage, and awakening.
And may you, in speaking them, feel real again.
Join us at IAMday.org
