No Doubt You Can Relate To This…

Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me.

Remember the saying sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me? Not true. Words do hurt, sometimes even more than physical pain.

CNN Headline News revealed the list of the top 4 most annoying words from a study done.

Top 4 Most Annoying Words

1. Whatever

2. Fake news

3. No offense

4. Literally

5. You know what I mean

When someone says ‘whatever‘ it means they are dismissing you or whatever you have said, and they can’t be bothered.

Whenever they say “no offense” it means they are about to offend you.

It’s often said “don’t take this literally”.  Chances are… it is literal (smile).

“You know what I mean”… most often we don’t know what they mean

So if you can Relate and  find yourself saying these words or some others, remember they hurt. Resolve to think before you speak (you know what I mean, right)? Hey no pun intended (smile).

Cheers!

Author: Dr. Shelly

Dr. Shelly Cameron is a leadership strategist, executive coach, and author of 12 nonfiction books, including The GreenLight Factor and Success Strategies of Caribbean American Leaders. She is the creator of the GreenLight Leadership Framework and founder of Global Coaching Corner. She leads the Ignite Caribbean 30 Under 30 Emerging Leaders program. Drawing on over 20 years of global HR leadership experience, she's passionate about helping professionals navigate change and design fulfilling lives through intentional goal setting and self-discovery. Her research was published in the JAABC Business Journal, and she was a featured author for the 2026 Africana Arts & Humanities Festival's 250th celebration. 🎉 A thank-you: SuccessfulLeaders.net just crossed 100,000 views! Grateful for every reader who's made this milestone possible. View all posts by Dr. Shelly