Words of Wisdom, 05-02-11

As I was leaving school on Friday, I heard a teacher talking to a group of students.  She was passing along a piece of long-standing good advice.  She said, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all.”

Here’s a mini-quiz for you to take.  If you walk up to a group of friends and they are talking badly about someone, do you, a) listen to the conversation but don’t say anything, b) pitch in with your own dirt, c) stand up for the person being talked about, or d) say nothing but walk away.

Be honest.  Which is your most likely course of action?

If you can seriously picture this scene in your mind, you can prepare for it when it happens and, I guarantee you, it will happen again.

In order for you to behave well, make a plan that you can put into action quickly.  Realize that the longer you stay in the hostile environment, the tougher it will be for you.  So, picture yourself doing this:  add a quick positive comment about the person being discussed and then leave.

Why not stay silent or add your own negative remarks?  Because you will have missed a chance to show your friends what kind of person you are.  By watching you behave in the way I described, they will know that you are a friend who will stand up for them in the future– that you won’t say anything at all if it’s not good.