Use Words With Care

EPISODE 6 — USE WORDS WITH CARE Tick tock hear the clock  Wake me up and say good night  Kiss my salty tears DESCRIPTION Words can lift us up or wear us down, and most of the time we don't notice which. In this episode, Lu goes back to a childhood home where yelling was simply called discipline. She also remembers how a parent's compliment could make her want to do better, and how music gave her a way to say what words could not. Drawing on Chuang Tse, she looks at how flattery and false civility pull us away from the truth. Then she questions words we reach for without thinking: self-esteem, identity, trigger, shame, closure, and pride. Care, she suggests, isn't only about speaking less. It means choosing words well, knowing when to stay silent, having the courage to say "I don't know," and offering compassion, to others and to ourselves. SHOW NOTES EPISODE 6 — USE WORDS WITH CARE This episode asks: What did we absorb from the words we heard growing up? When does a kind word become flattery, and politeness become a lie? Which words do we use without asking what they really mean? CHAPTERS: Introduction — Two Ears, One Mouth Language is what sets us apart. It shapes who we are and how we relate to each other. Using words with care means knowing the risk, practicing restraint, being honest, and offering compassion. Act 1 — The Words We Absorb Children imitate what they hear. Lu remembers careless everyday words, a house loud enough to feel like it sat beside railroad tracks, and the encouragement that still built her confidence. Music became the language she could trust. Act 2 — Flattery and False Civility Gossip fills the gaps we don't understand about each other. Drawing on Chuang Tse, Lu reflects on how flattery leads to deception. She explains why she meets compliments about her looks and talent with gratitude and humility, and why fear of hurting feelings so often leads to false civility. Act 3 — Words We Latch Onto Self-esteem, identity, trigger, shame, closure, and pride: Lu asks what lies beneath words we use without thinking. She also explores the right word at the right time, the courage to say "I don't know," and the kindness of compassionate self-talk. Closing — Words That Bring Music to Life Lu once sought teachers whose words revealed the feeling inside the music. Now she chooses her own words carefully with her students. Mistakes will happen, and that's part of being human. NEXT EPISODE: Open Heart returns next week with a new episode. SHARE YOUR STORY: [email protected] CONNECT WITH OPEN HEART PODCAST: 🌐 Website: leslancreativestudio.com  🎧 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/open-heart-with-lu-leslan/id1861169448 🎵 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2duSwoSJVHFG8wn7SsC1F9 ▶️ YouTube: https://youtu.be/C47yEyI19CM Open Heart with Lu Leslan is for anyone who aspires to understand themselves and the world more deeply. Through honest personal stories, philosophical insights, and practical wisdom, each episode invites you to live with more clarity, courage, and compassion. Subscribe and share with someone ready to open their heart. RESOURCES MENTIONED: Lu's first documentary: Take a Bow: The Ingrid Clarfield Story (2011)