Words Are Contagious

How the Stories We Create, Repeat, and Believe Shape Our Lives

Words are contagious. So are the stories attached to them.

I’ve been thinking lately about the first agreement from The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz:

Be impeccable with your word.

For years, I interpreted that to mean don’t lie. Tell the truth. Keep your promises. Speak with integrity. All good things. Lately, I’ve begun to wonder if there’s more to it than that. What if being impeccable with our words also means being mindful of the stories we create, repeat, and spread? Because words are contagious. And nowhere is that more apparent than during times of change and uncertainty.

Words Are Contagious During Times of Uncertainty

When information is scarce, people naturally fill in the blanks. It’s human nature. We want to understand what’s happening around us. We want to feel safe. We want to know what’s coming next. So we speculate. We wonder. We connect dots that may or may not belong together. Before long, a possibility begins to feel like a probability. Then a probability begins to feel like a certainty. All without a single new fact entering the conversation.

Recently, someone shared a concern with me. “If layoffs happen, won’t the last people hired be the first people to go?” A fair question. A reasonable question. But after hearing it, I noticed something interesting happen. A little voice in my head started talking. The same voice that likes certainty. The same voice that occasionally wakes me up at 3 a.m. trying to solve problems that don’t yet exist.

“Wait. My role was recently transitioned internally. It hasn’t gone through the full approval process yet. What if that applies to me?”

Nothing had changed. No new information had been shared. Yet a seed had been planted.

Another conversation centered around the possibility of a return-to-office mandate. Someone wondered what would happen to remote employees living in different states. Again, a reasonable concern. But before long, I found myself wondering: “What if I lost the solitude and sanctuary of my home office?”

One person’s uncertainty had become another person’s worry. Not because anyone intended harm. Because words travel. Ideas spread. Stories multiply. And anxiety can be surprisingly contagious.

The same thing happens in families, friendships, and on social media. A concern becomes a conversation. The conversation becomes a story. Before long, people are responding emotionally to something that may never happen.

I’ve seen the opposite happen, too.

Hope is contagious.

So is optimism.

Trust.

Courage.

Faith.

In a previous post, When Leaders Leave: Choosing Love Over Fear, I wrote about how fear can spread through an organization during times of uncertainty. The good news is that hope, trust, and courage spread too.

One person says, “We’ll figure it out.” Another person exhales.

One leader communicates openly and honestly. An entire team relaxes.

One friend believes in us before we believe in ourselves. And suddenly we’re willing to take the next step.

The Stories Our Words Create

Words matter because they shape the stories we tell ourselves. And stories shape the way we experience the world.

Years ago, I conducted an exit interview with an employee I deeply respected. She loved her work. She loved the organization. She wanted to grow and develop. At one point, she raised a concern about a decision that affected her role. The response she received was simple: “You don’t have a choice. Get on board.”

As she repeated those words to me, I felt a visceral reaction. My inner rebel immediately sat up and took notice. Don’t tell me I don’t have a choice. We always have a choice. So did she. Which is why I was conducting an exit interview instead of a stay interview.

The irony is that she didn’t leave because she disliked the work. She left for an opportunity that allowed her to grow and expand her impact. One sentence didn’t cause her departure. But one sentence communicated far more than its speaker likely intended. It communicated that her voice didn’t matter. That her perspective wasn’t valued. That her autonomy wasn’t respected.

Words do that. They carry meaning beyond their literal definition. They create stories. They create culture. They create belonging. Or erode it.

Perhaps that’s why being impeccable with our word matters so much. Not because we need to be perfect. But because our words have a way of traveling farther than we realize.

Before repeating a rumor, sharing a fear, or speculating about what might happen next, it may be worth asking:

• Is it true?
• Is it helpful?
• Is it kind?
• Is it moving people toward understanding or toward fear?

The questions we ask — and the stories we choose to revisit — matter. As I wrote in What You Focus on Grows, our attention has a way of shaping our experience.

The older I get, the more I realize that most conversations are about more than the words being spoken. They’re about the stories those words create. The stories we tell ourselves. The stories we tell each other. The stories we choose to repeat.

Maybe that’s what it means to be impeccable with our word. Not perfection. Just a little more intention. A little more awareness. A little more care for what we’re putting into the world.

Because words are contagious.

And whether we realize it or not, every conversation plants a seed.

 

©2026 Lori Ann King