Think Before You Speak

"Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they've got a second." -William James

I have goals I set a million times- every new year, every birthday, every Monday :-). I wish I could complete those goals the first time...but for right now, I'll just keep starting.

Controlling my tongue is tough. I often let my responses to things be determined by those I'm around- not because I change my mind and believe what they say, just because I don't want to cause conflict, so I'll agree to move on with the conversation. I worry about offending people, about giving the answer the person I'm speaking with wants to hear- I want people to feel comfortable, which oddly enough can leave me feeling uncomfortable if I find that I don't know what I think about the subject, and I feel like I need to respond. It's scary, in a way, to imagine stating my own opinion- or even stating that "I haven't really thought about that"- but liberating just the same.

As of late, I've been trying hard to weigh each thing that leaves my mouth. It's difficult- I'm a talker by nature- and I slip into my old 'jabber jaw' ways here and there, but as I review the past few days, I feel proud. There's class in thinking before you speak, so I plan to keep trying. I have to think that eventually I'll run far enough on my 'first wind' to hold my tongue, so that I can devote my 'second wind' to developing my vocabulary- thereby saying more with less.