19/04/2021

Just because you can do something, doesn’t mean that you should do it…
People say that this is sometimes better referred to as knowing the difference between the theory and the practice, or knowing when it is better to think something only and not say it.
This latter principle is a favourite of mine and you will often hear me telling people that, although they can think something when speaking to someone, they should not always say it out loud, as if it is the wrong thing to say, it is now out there and they can never take it back, no matter how hard they try. This is especially true these days, when what you say can be so quickly amplified by social media – it can really have devastating and life-changing consequences for someone in just a short while.
Too often, we just want to demonstrate to the world how clever we are because we can do or say this or that. But as I also often say, there is a difference between being clever and being wise. The clever person will want other people to know how clever they are, but the wise person will keep silent or not do anything, as they know that speaking or doing a lot is often not very wise in the long run.
So, when you find yourself about to say or do something, stop yourself for just a second and internally ask yourself if you are only saying or doing it because you can and are really just trying to show other people how clever you are and the wisest thing is actually not to say it or do it. If you then don’t say it or do it, just because you can, you may have just saved yourself from a difficult situation afterwards!




