Let Your Words Be Few But…

Truth be told, I experience a lot of seat time with the work that I do.  As a result, I have tried to be more disciplined in the evenings to walk a couple of miles through my neighborhood.  Every evening I put shoes on, at least one or two of my kids ask to tag along. This is perfect because it provides the perfect opportunity to be invested in their lives in a one-on-one(ish) setting.

Dennis Rainey, founder of FamilyLife, once said “men usually speak 10,000 to 20,000 words per day, while women speak 30,000 – 50,000 words per day – with gusts up to 125,000!”  On this particular starry night, this child was gusting and my little sailboat was about to capsize as a result.  As the words continued to blow into the night sky, I ever so often repeated, “let your words be few but meaningful”.  Eventually, the child caught on and we both enjoyed the conversation and the stillness of the night.

Questions to Ponder

All of us – men and women alike – have critical limits where more words equal more mental chaos.  Our natural instinct is to start tuning things out to the point were those talking start sounding like Charlie Brown’s teacher! 

How does this relate to your money and relationships?  When you are overwhelmed with all of the words, find ways to “let your words be few but meaningful”

• How can you let your spouse know you have no excess capacity for more conversation, while still showing your interested in their concerns?

• Can you request the conversation topic be summarized and written down?

• What times of the day are best suited for this type of conversation so you can put your whole mind to being engaged and thoughtful?

• Can you think like a competition chess player?  Make it a goal to be quicker at smacking the stopwatch while forming a concise but complete thought.

Sometimes, less is indeed more.

To making each of your words more meaningful.