A Soul Believer's Guide to Finding Inner Peace

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If I Had to Give Up One Word That I Use Regularly, What Would It Be?

I’ve never really thought about how much power certain words hold in my daily life until I stumbled on this question: “If you had to give up one word you use regularly, what would it be?”

It’s surprisingly tough to answer because the words we use most often shape not just our conversations, but also our thoughts, moods, and even the way people experience us. Words are like background music in the soundtrack of our lives—you may not notice them at first, but once they’re gone, everything feels different.

After a lot of thought, I realized the word I’d probably let go of is: “sorry.”

Now, don’t get me wrong—I believe in apologizing when we’ve hurt someone, made a mistake, or acted carelessly. An apology can heal. But I’ve noticed that I use “sorry” far too much, often in situations where it doesn’t actually belong.

• Someone bumps into me: “Sorry!”
• I can’t answer a message right away: “Sorry!”
• I ask a harmless question: “Sorry to bother you…”

It has become a knee-jerk reaction, almost like a filler word. And the problem is, it quietly makes me smaller. It places blame on me when there isn’t any, and it turns genuine presence into needless apology.

If I gave up this word in those unnecessary places, I imagine I’d create more room for self-assurance. For example:

• Instead of “Sorry I’m late,” I could say, “Thank you for waiting.”
• Instead of “Sorry to bother you,” I could say, “Do you have a moment to talk?”
• Instead of filling silence with “sorry,” I could simply be at peace with it.

Wouldn’t that be freeing?

Of course, I’d still keep the true kind of “sorry”—the one that carries responsibility, humility, and love. But letting go of the empty, automatic version might help me live with more courage, gratitude, and confidence.

It makes me wonder: what other words do we cling to out of habit, even when they no longer serve us?

So now I’m turning the question back to you:
✨ If you had to give up one word you use regularly, what word would it be—and why?

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