COLUMBIA, S.C. — The words we use have power… that's the message of a local author, who happens to be six years old. She is using her words to make a difference.
"I am strong, I am amazing, I am beautiful," said Taylin Goings. Goings is a second-grader who decided she wanted to write a book when she was in kindergarten.
"I just wanted to help other people remind ourselves that they are amazing," Goings said.
Goings' mother, a professor at the University of North Carolina, had recently published a textbook. She says her daughter was intent on writing a book too.
"She would regularly ask me if she could write a book," said Trenette Goings, her mother. "And so one day I said, 'Well, what would this book be about? What do you want to write about?' And she said, 'I want to write a book focused on affirmations, telling people that their words are powerful.'"
"My mom wrote a book, and I asked her if I could write a book," Taylin Goings said. "And she said, 'Pretend?' I said, 'No'. And so then, when she said 'Real?' I said 'Yes.'"
An affirmation is a short phrase people repeat to themselves to help improve their mental health. The Association of Psychological Science says affirmation of values can significantly lower cortisol, the stress hormone.
Goings was just five years old when she published "My Words Are Powerful: An Affirmation Book."
"When we received the first copy, we were just blown away," Trenette Goings said. "I remember she was jumping up and down."
A year later, Taylin Going shares her book with schools, churches, and the community. She said she's using the money she makes from book sales to help people differently.
"I sold my book yesterday to somebody and I got $10," Taylin Goings said. "And there was this old lady beside the street and she said anything could help until I gave all the money I had with me to her."
Goings said she hopes to publish more books in the future.