Here is one reason faith works

So, there are lots of reasons faith works, I think. One of them is what I call The Echo.

Spiritual people often ascribe almost magical powers to words. Affirmations, they say, can and do affect major change, every day. And I agree with them. Here’s why.

Have you ever been in a conversation with someone and one of you says something a little shocking and, whether it’s true or not, it sort of creates an “echo” in everyone’s ears for the next few minutes–or longer? Maybe they said, “I love the feeling of a sunburn on my skin”–something harmless but a little strange like that–but for some reason, you can’t get it out of your head, and no matter what anyone says after that, the conversation inevitably returns to this idea?

Well, this kind of thing happens to me all the time, and so I came up for a name for it. I call it “The Echo.”

Sometimes, The Echo is positive. Someone said they loved your hair, for instance. Other times, though, it is negative. Someone said they hated the way a certain friend of theirs always scratched their nose in a way that looked like they were picking it.

And the next time you see that person, what are you going to be thinking about? “Oh, this is the chick that picks her nose.”

The Echo is a powerful thing, I think, because it can change the mood of a conversation or even an entire room.

This, by the way, is the reason names are so important. Everybody who works at a company identifies unconsciously with the name of the company, so if it is a good one–creative, insightful, successful-sounding–they will have more confidence in the company and work harder to do their part. (Maybe that’s one reason the folks at Zappos love it so much.)

Next time you’re at a party, listen for The Echo. You’ll hear it.

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