What's your wish?

A few weeks ago, my family and I went to Yoko Ono's Wish Tree installation here in NYC. It was hosted in the beautiful Park Avenue Armory on the East Side, and when you walk in, you enter a room full of trees with tables strategically placed at the front, where you are prompted to write your wish on a tag and find a tree where you would like your wish to live.

Once I walked through the forest of trees for a while, reading the wishes of others—some about world peace, others wishing for more money, and some wanting their kid brother to get their own iPad so they no longer had to share—I found where my wish would live.

There was something powerful about being in a room surrounded by collective wishes. Words matter—spoken or unspoken. And as we put them together, word by word, to create a message, we have a responsibility for them as we release them into the world.

One of my favorite moments was seeing what my daughter wrote on her wish tag. In her innocent yet insightful way, she summed up hope, compassion, and a little humor all in one sentence:

"I wish for all kids to have a home, for soldiers to come home, and for me to be famous."

I couldn’t help but smile. In just a few words, she captured what so many of us want—the well-being of others, the return of loved ones, and, of course, a little personal ambition.

After leaving this beautiful display of art, it was palpable how connected we all are and how powerful we can be when there is intention and responsibility behind our collective wishes.

This experience reminded me of the power of words—not just in writing them on a wish tag, but in speaking them out loud.

As public speakers, we have the same responsibility. Every word we choose, every message we put into the world, has an impact. It has the power to inspire, to shift perspectives, to connect us in ways we don’t always realize in the moment.

My invitation for you——the next time you step on stage, in front of a room, or even just hit "send" on an email, think about the intention behind your words. What do you want them to create? How do you want them to live in the hearts and minds of those who hear them?

Because just like those wishes hanging on the trees, our words don’t just disappear after we release them—they take root. They grow. And they have the potential to change the world. ✨