I was at the post office one Tuesday, wearing my Mighty necklace and trying to ship a stack of packages on four hours of sleep, when the woman behind me tapped me on the shoulder.

“Excuse me. Your necklace. Where did you get that?”

She wasn't really asking about the necklace. She wanted to know about the word. Why Mighty?

I didn't feel particularly mighty that day. I was tired, distracted and hungry. But I had put it on anyway because I needed the reminder.

I told her about Brevity, and she told me about her daughter, who had just started at a new school and was having a hard time. She wanted something her daughter could wear to remind her that she was stronger than whatever was happening in those hallways.

The whole conversation lasted maybe three minutes, but I still think about it.

An Empowerments word necklace can be an invitation. It's small enough to be personal and visible enough to be public. That turns out to be a surprisingly powerful combination. It’s meaningful jewelry.

I don't make these necklaces because I think we walk around feeling Brave or Fierce or Mighty all day. I certainly don't. Sometimes they're just a nudge toward how you want to feel.

That's probably why I've never thought of these as intention-setting jewelry in the polished, morning-routine sense of the phrase. My intentions are rarely that organized. Sometimes I just need to catch Mighty in the reflection of a window.

I still wear it on days when I don't feel it.

Maybe especially then.