Think Before You Speak

"If you propose to speak, always ask yourself,
 is it true, is it necessary, is it kind"
                                                        Buddha


Every day we have the opportunity to appease or ignite others with our words.

Why would you ever say anything mean or unkind to another?

Because as human beings we always strive to be "right" and
need to feel validated that we have been heard.

But why do we feel the need to defend ourselves if we know
we are right?

Because we want the other person to agree we are right!

What if, for just one day, you try this experiment.

Think about everything you say before you say it and,
if it isn't true, necessary or kind, DON'T SAY IT!

Let it be enough that you know you are right and if you're not, admit it.

Maybe the person is having a bad day.
Maybe they just lost their job or their car broke down
and they can't afford to fix it and you are the lucky one
who got to incur their wrath.

What if you responded with kind words of encouragement
instead of meeting their rage with your own?

Try it for the next 24 hours and see how much better it feels to be kind.

If you don't have anything nice to say, it's better to say nothing at all.