Musings of a Young Man: On the Power of Words
Observations from a young man growing older—and maybe wiser.
We’re starting something new here on Soul Mana.
Over the last few months, as I’ve ideated and wrestled with what this project is really about, I’ve run into the concept of “niche.” Everyone—from Substack growth gurus to YouTube strategists—says the same thing:
Find your niche. Speak only to that audience.
But I’ve come to believe Soul Mana doesn’t fit into that mold.
What if the niche is the human experience?
What if the niche isn’t a topic, but a posture—a way of moving through life with curiosity, depth, and presence?
This is the first of a new series I’m calling Musings of a Young Man. Think of it as a loose but intentional journal—an umbrella under which the fragmented thoughts of this space can begin to walk in formation.
The Power of Words
Have you ever told someone what you truly admire about them?
Not a compliment. Not a surface-level “you’re so funny” or “you’re smart.”
I’m talking about putting real thought into what makes them uniquely them—then saying it out loud.
If not, I dare you to try it—with a close friend, a loved one, hell, even a stranger.
You’ll notice something profound happens: walls drop. Something tender and human is revealed.
When I did this with my fiancée, Danielle, I realized just how underappreciated the impact of words really is. We don’t often get the chance to collapse the space between thought and speech—to let what’s real inside us be spoken with no buffer.
But when we do? It can shift everything.
The Medium Through Which Thought Becomes Reality
Zooming out, it’s wild that something as physical and primal as the tongue—a muscle of flesh—can channel the ineffable.
It’s our translator. The bridge between what we feel and what we can share.
Everything we believe, every opinion we hold, every ache in our heart or fire in our soul—none of it matters if we can’t give it form.
Yes, words aren’t the only form of expression. But they’re one of the most powerful.
They shape our relationships. Our identities. Our impact.
They make private experience public—and in doing so, remind us we’re not alone.
Influencing the World by Vibrating Air
It’s kind of insane when you think about it:
Entire religions
Social revolutions
Musical movements
Even mass devastation
—all because someone translated a thought into language.
Language is the container we pour our meaning into. It’s the only way anything gets built.
Tesla, Einstein, Mercury—none of their genius would’ve mattered if they couldn’t get it out of their heads and into the world.
Every life-changing idea starts as a whisper in the mind. But until we give it words, it dies there.
The Superpower Within You
The ability to accurately translate your thoughts, feelings, and intuitions into words is a superpower.
Some call it articulation. Others call it communication.
But what it really is... is transmutation—taking the invisible and making it visible.
People often tell me I have a gift for this. For putting language to things others feel but don’t know how to say. I used to brush that off. But looking back, it makes sense—I’m a chronic thinker. I don’t just let thoughts pass. I interrogate them. I test them for legitimacy, usefulness, and truth. I try to spot the bullshit.
It’s a muscle I’ve built, not just for the sake of being understood, but so that when something worth sharing does appear in my mind, I know how to give it legs.
Every iconic speech. Every world-altering idea. Every line that ever made your soul pause.
It all started with a single thought—and a person who chose to honor it with words.
Final Thought
So here’s the invitation:
Pay attention to your thoughts.
Respect them enough to shape them into language.
Speak them into existence.
You don’t need to be a poet. You just need to care.
Because words build bridges—and this world could always use more of those.
Thanks for being here,
Brady
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