welllivedcommas-blog

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Killin' Birds Today's Thursday post is a #BookRecommendation: High Performance Habits by Brendon Burchard I just bought his planner also, which implements the concepts from his book. Bird 1: Learn which habits do not depend on personality, or circumstance—but that can be honed by ANYONE who is willing to put in the work. Habits that lead to performing at a HIGH LEVEL, CONSISTENTLY, over the LONG-TERM. This is how the author defines who is a "high performer." Also, the book includes an extensive Endnotes and References section. I know, I know, that's not very glamorous—but you have to consider that this SINGLE book is the culmination of years of research by the High Performance Institute, with cross validations and references to multiple third-party studies... So why would you spend years of your own research when you can get the findings all in one place? Bird 2: Be a better co-worker, boss, husband, friend; a more productive and happier person over-all. After reading the book, you'll have practical steps to what that really means and what specific personal growth to focus on to affect all areas of your life—and how that life affects others. To a good read, Go kill some birds! #KillinBirdsThursday (at Miami, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/BtmwouLgFfM/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1m1wkuhfv7w09

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Whatever Wednesday Here's a #quote from a little book I used to carry around with me back in my door-to-door selling days: "It is easier to adjust ourselves to the hardships of a poor living than it is to adjust ourselves to the hardships of making a better one." Still gets to me. Either way, there will be #hardship—so I might as well choose the latter. #WhateverWednesday #grind #hardwork #dailygrind (at Miami, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/BtkF9GjgCCD/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=11qxsgg8pwaj6

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You are numbing your taste buds and becoming an addict. You know how? By adding freaking sugar to everything you drink. Don't feel offended, I pointed that scraggly finger to myself a few years ago. Think about it this way—when's the last time you enjoyed something for it's natural taste? We even put sugar in our alcohol! Now, I'm not bashing sugar, and I'm not bashing alcohol—everything in moderation, right? But currently, our sugar intake in the form of what we drink IS NOT MODERATE. Do this next time you drink a "sports drink" after sweating a little: look at how many grams of sugar and actually act out scooping out, with an imaginary teaspoon, and then mixing, the amount that's written. 4 grams equals 1 teaspoon. A normal soda like Coke, for example, has about 40 grams of sugar. That's 10, TEN, freaking teaspoons you would have to "scoop" out and mix. Just imagine! "One... Two... Three... Four... Five... Six..." Wait. I need a break. ... ... Okay—let's continue: "Seven... Eight..." I'm still scooping and mixing! "Nine... AANND... Ten!" If we had watched someone add that many teaspoons of sugar into a glass of water while we were eating with them at a restaurant, we would be thinking, "Damn. That's a lot." But drink companies have it premixed for you! How convenient. Sort of like how you go into debt by using credit cards and not cash, which HURTS when you use it for real. It hurts even more knowing that the AHA recommended daily TEASPOON intake of added sugar per day for men is only 9, and for women it's only 6. Do the math and you'll find out that your morning bowl of cereal already took up half of your allowance. So, stop OVERDOING the sugary Lattes, and the Jamba juices, EVERY SINGLE morning, and save those things for a random, weekend cheat meal. Reserve your sugar (fructose, glucose, sucrose... It's all SUGAR) allowance for foods you CHEW, like apples. Learn to enjoy a "whiskey neat," or better yet, BLACK coffee. Your taste buds will become like those of a Sommelier, and your body will thank you for not sabotaging any improvement gained from your last workout. Cheers! #HealthAndNutritionTuesday (at Miami, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/BtgTZHogQ9O/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1vir4buik5al9

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Hit the Ground Running! Do you lead yourself? Tonight's #leadership post will be short and sweet—just to get you thinking. Because really, If you think about it, SELF-LEADERSHIP is the ONLY form of leadership. Before you will ever lead others, and AS you lead others, this is a battle-front that you must have a lock-down on. Period. The quality of every area of your life is affected by how well you lead yourself. #SelfLeadership will determine if you marry a person that will need to babysit you, versus a co-equal, in-the-trenches-with-you, life partner. Leading yourself first will improve the performance of an already existing team you may have the PRIVILEGE of being responsible for; who will follow your example out of inspiration and a true sense of duty and vision rather than obligation. "The practice of intentionally influencing your thinking, feeling and behaviors to achieve your objective," is one of the definitions I found. Meaning, you don't rely on some outside force to motivate you, but have the discipline to motivate YOURSELF consistently enough that it will turn into willpower. We'll talk more about the difference between #motivation (a stimulant) and #willpower (a muscle) another day, but for now, I'll leave you with this: If you dont lead yourself, your life will constantly be dictated by external circumstances which you have no control over. #HitTheGroundRunningMonday #SelfDiscipline #Discipline #NoExcuses #RoadLessTravelled (at Miami, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/BtfEydUgViK/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1djbd1fxi13xc

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Ok, so I've been AWOL the past couple of days, and if you've been following this profile, you know every day has a differently themed post. To catch up, I'm gonna have to find a way to relate my 1) what to buy 2) hobbies 3) Scripture and 4) cheesy joke sections ALL TO ONE PICTURE. It's a 4-in-1 post! Think I can't do it in 2200 characters or less? #watchme #KillinBirdsThursday Get a membership to a botanical garden! My wife and I have one to #FairchildTropicalGarden, where we photographed the #crocodile above. Bird 1: Cost of yearly membership pays for itself after only a few visits; so if you go regularly throughout the year, taking a walk around the #garden basically becomes something free you can do as a #date, whenever #familyandfriends come into town, or just to #getaway from the #office during lunch. Bird 2: Botanical gardens across the country are most likely part of the same society, so your membership will allow you to visit other gardens for free when you go out-of-state. Talk about killing two birds w/ one stone! #WeekendWarriorFriday A great place to go on the weekend, especially during the occasional festival or fair. Not to mention, if you're into #birdwatching like me, your binoculars will come in handy if you don't want to get too close to the croc. #ScriptureSaturday After literary criticism and analysis, many agree that the oldest book in the #Bible is not #Genesis, but the Book of Job—the story about how #God allowed #Satan to test an old guy named Job. It's 37 chapters of Job's friends trying to explain why he's going through hardship, then 5 chapters at the end of God speaking and setting things straight—putting everyone's supposed #wisdom to shame. One of rhetorical questions God gives to call them out on their foolishness is Ch. 41, Verse 10, part of a passage where the beast He created, Leviathan, is described: "No one is so fierce that he would dare stir him up. Who then is able to stand against Me?" Lesson—If there are fierce animals that we dare not mess with, why would we dare challenge the God who created them? #HereIsAJokeSunday Q: What do you call a crocodile in a vest? A: An investigator. (at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bta7w-3gtYc/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=dbjm6607yqex

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#WhateverWednesday Got some jewelry on you? Apparently, the robbers who shot at me didn't have enough—so let me tell you THAT #story. Well, they weren't shooting at me, they were shooting at a bunch of cops in front of me. Ok, I'm just confusing you people. This is how it went down. From the beginning... It was a beautiful sunny day in 1997. I was walking with my grandmother and sister through downtown Medianeira. That's a small city in the mostly rural state of Paraná, also home to the beautiful #Iguaçu Falls, and Itaipú, the largest hydroelectric dam in the world (well not anymore since the #ThreeGorgesDam in #China took 1st place). We still had some #Dollars to trade into Reais, so that's how we wound up in the downtown area, across from the #jewelry store. You see, my grandmother hadn't seen us in years and she had actually wanted to buy me and my sister a simple bracelet, or chain; and if we hadn't had passed the #travelagency first, we would have entered that jewelry store in the midst of a #robbery in progress. Right after she said, "let's go in here first," I see two cop cars screech to a halt across the street from where we were. As the officers flung open their car doors, backs towards us, they swiftly drew their weapons—and NOT ONE SECOND LATER, three armed men w/ bags of loot exit, IMMEDIATELY firing upon the officers—and so, the shoot-out commenced. I'm first to see all this happening. As bullets were ricocheting off the sidewalk next to us, and breaking the windows of the storefronts on our side of the street, I yelled—"Go, GO! GET INSIDE!" I would like to think that at that age, I had the rugged deep, scruffy voice of The #Punisher, but I was just a kid. As we shuffled to the back of the store, where we crouched with others, I saw one of the robbers take several bullets to his body and leg; STILL managing to limp into his getaway vehicle, and.. well... GET AWAY. The #cops quickly got back into their vehicles to start what now became a #carchase. And as quickly as they showed up, and chaos ensued, they left. And everything became quiet as the sirens faded into the distance. #TrueStory #Dramatic #StoryTeller #CopsAndRobbers (at Miami, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/BtSNg7agz9l/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=16pq0eo1njd7q

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Health & Nutrition This is what 1100 #calories and 40 grams of #protein looks like. Fried sausage, two over-medium eggs, on a bed of Valencia rice; lightly salted w/ some black pepper. May not look that appetizing, but it sure hit the spot. Don't judge. #latenightmeal We'll talk more about fats, carbs, and protein some other day... but for now I'm still calling this my #HealthAndNutritionTuesday post. (at Miami, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/BtPvqJUgaXh/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=16vuqw3frczfz

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Hit the Ground Running! Do you batch? When we hear the word, "batch," most of us start thinking about what bakers take out of ovens—a batch of cookies, or a "batch of" bread—but when it comes to #productivity, it can mean getting MORE WORK DONE IN LESS TIME overall. Let me explain. In early 2017, after 3 yrs of working at this particular non-profit as one of their two video editors, I sincerely thought I came up with this idea myself: Batching similar tasks together. I even termed it, "BATCHING," thinking I was SO original; going so far as to use it as a noun in the hallway without needing to explain myself: "Hey! We're filming the batch today right?" Apparently though, in 2019, this concept has made it onto several #Top10 lists when it comes to productivity #hacks. In video editing, for example, it works like this: instead of setting up a shoot, recording, then editing (audio, cuts, grading, etc.), then posting... all for just ONE video, why not shoot more than just one video at the same time if you know they'll have a similar look and feel? This translates to FRONT-LOADING a lot of content, getting your talent to bring several changes of clothes (so the videos look like they've been shot on different days), and basically producing a "weekly" video that was actually filmed maybe even a FULL MONTH before it was meant to go live. Fast forward, not editing full-time anymore, I'm seeing the possibility to apply this #hack in multiple scenarios: paying all your #bills during one sitting; making more than one phone call once you get on a roll with your "talking-on-the-phone" mode; reading and responding to all your emails during a set time instead of scattered throughout your day; outlining and drafting all your blog posts for the next week on a Sunday afternoon; the list goes on and on. In video, my production time for each finished spot went from 2 hrs to 30 minutes; and I'm seeing similar returns in other areas. Find similar tasks you can batch together this week, and I promise you'll be producing more than just a baker's dozen! #HitTheGroundRunningMonday (at Miami, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/BtNF6_OgNNe/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1jur199mcsimv

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Here's a #Joke! Got a pile of receipts you still have to look through this #TaxSeason? Amid the longest #GovernmentShutdown in history, having forced many #IRSworkers to clock in #withoutpay, today's joke is for the #auditors out there—I know your job is stressful enough—you guys have feelings too! STANDING BET The local #bar was so sure that its bartender was the strongest man around that they offered a standing $1000 bet: The bartender would squeeze a lemon until all the juice ran into a glass, and hand the lemon to a patron. Anyone who could squeeze one more drop of juice out would win the #money. Many people had tried over time but nobody could do it. One day this scrawny little man came into the bar, wearing thick glasses and a polyester suit, and said in a tiny squeaky voice, " I'd like to try the bet." After the laughter had died down, the bartender said OK, grabbed a lemon, and squeezed away. Then he handed the wrinkled remains of the rind to the little man. The crowd's laughter turned to total silence as the man clenched his fist around the lemon and six drops fell into the glass. As the crowd cheered, the #bartender paid the $1000, and asked the little man "What do you do for a living? Are you a lumberjack, a weight-lifter, or what?" The man replied, "I work for the #IRS." Happy #HereIsAJokeSunday! (at Miami, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/BtJvuf7Axck/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1285tchrxa7ya

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Scripture Saturday This week we celebrated #MLK. My mom is white, my dad is black—like #Obama, I'm a mutt! Thinking on race led me to think on slavery; and being that it is a sad truth that American slave owners had, at one point, used the Bible as justification, I thought for today's #ScriptureSaturday, we could succinctly debunk the fact that the #Bible supports #slavery and #racism. Colossians 3:9-11 Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him, where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, SLAVE NOR FREE, but Christ is all and in all. Just because something is mentioned or described in the Bible does not mean God condoned it. If there were regulations for slavery in the OT, it shouldn't be taken as an affirmation of the institution. Similarly, just because divorce is allowed, doesn't mean that God ever wanted that to be an issue in the first place. Jesus said divorce, from the beginning, "was not so," but became SO because of our hardened hearts, so #God had to create rules for it (Matt. 19:8). The institutions of this world, good or bad, will pass away, but if we come out with new hearts, THAT is the lasting benefit. Whenever you hear the Bible give slaves advice in the NT, it has to do with their mindset and attitude toward others. Likewise, cruel slaveowners were also called out. But nowhere is God commentating on the institution itself. He is more concerned with changing hearts than #circumstances. When hearts change, REAL institutional changes can then be sustained. God knew that eventually WE WOULD DECIDE ON OUR OWN THAT SLAVERY IS BAD, which has happened today—even though slavery still exists even here in #Miami, where my port city is one of the largest for #sex traffickers to do #business, along with #Bangkok. As Paul urged Philemon to view Onesimus no longer as a runaway slave he had a right to kill, but as a "beloved brother" (Philem. 16), I urge us all today to no longer see others with their LABELS—convict, addict, black—but as children of the same Creator. (at Miami, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/BtHQjmbg-8h/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1w4bdrnwd23do

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Weekend Warrior Ever exploded some kittens? Grab a beer, gather some friends, and have a #GameNight! Don't let a messy house deter you, or lack of planning. I've found that when you have some sort of predetermined activity in making plans with other people, it's less awkward during the invite, and less ambiguous than asking, "Wanna hang out?" Having a set of board/card games to choose from is the easiest activity to "plan towards"—Exploding Kittens™, What Do You Meme™, The Big Taboo™... there's a bunch. And keep in mind, the game doesn't have to be the star of the night; you can just play a round and THEN just #hangout. The game just serves as a method to get people out of their houses, especially the #introvert in the group (like MYSELF—the notion of having to intentionally try to small-talk all night without something to do paralyzes us... but make us roll some dice or give us a task like time-keeping, and we're all yours! And before you know it, we're just "hanging out" too 😉). We're all adults, spend $12 on some drinks, delegate the DJing to whoever can connect to the Bluetooth speaker first, and tell everyone beforehand to not worry about dressing up or having to bring something—that they can just come after work, NO STRESS. The less we complicate HOW the hangout will look like, the more often they'll end up happening 😎 To a relaxing weekend, happy #WeekendWarriorFriday (at Miami, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/BtEI6CYARog/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=kt45q010caa1

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Killin' Birds As promised, every Thursday I highlight something you can buy that I've already used and I think will bring value to different areas of your life—from your health, to your #relationships with others. The only other requirement for this list is that it should kill at least two birds with one stone (have two or more benefits). Monday's post, about intentionally giving your time, led me to think on how my wife and I gave gifts this past #HolidaySeason. We were #OnABudget, so we got #creative... without further adieu, here's what to buy: Prank Gift Boxes Look that up on Amazon and you'll find at least two different companies producing everything from Plant Urinals™ to a 12,000 piece jigsaw puzzle of a plain blue sky with only a speck of moon. Here's the thing—the products are fake! You're only buying a box meant to hide your real #gift in; and it's so professionally done and replete with in-action examples and printed marketing on the outside that you'll have your giftee saying, Wait, WHAT? Is this real? I mean, WOW! It's exactly what I wanted 😅 Bird 1: Inexpensive—same price as buying gift bags with fluffly colored paper to hide your wine in Bird 2: A gift that keeps on giving! The box itself is a gift the recipient can then re-use when gifting to their #friends for that next #bday party or #babyshower. Bird 3: The whole experience is #HILARIOUS—especially when they open it among a small crowd and everyone's in on it. The icing on the cake is when that one actor in the group goes, "Oh wow! I've seen this before—almost bought it myself!" To your gift-giving experience! #KillinBirdsThursday (at Miami, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/BtBUOglAtsU/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=17oc4dquye53

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Whatever Wednesday Dial it down today. Here's a little wisdom on CALMNESS: We often forget this, most of us; but it is true. Noise, anger, explosive tones, superlatives, exaggerations of passion, add nothing to the force of what we say, but rather rob our words of the power that belongs to them. But the utterance that shows a spirit subdued by truth and mastered by #wisdom is the utterance that sweeps away opposition, that persuades and overcomes. Go into a #heated political convention, and you will find that it is not the men who get #angry and storm and swear who carry the day. But the men who never lose their tempers and never raise their voices; who keep talking quietly and placidly as if they were discussing the #weather. This is a truth that all of us who seek to #influence our fellow beings, in the #family, in #society, in #politics, anywhere, must lay to heart. We are prone to forget it; but we make a great mistake when we do forget it. The soft tongue breaketh the bone. The tamed tongue subdues the adversary.—Gladden #WhateverWednesday https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs-gF-1gEQJ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1xmeiv6io47ee

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Health & Nutrition Why are you rushing? If you haven't paused long enough to ask yourself that question, I'll take a safe bet that you are indeed a "chronic rusher" yourself. Today's post deals with an aspect of #MentalHealth—specifically, the practice of taking a pause from mind-numbing overstimulation, and just SITTING DOWN for a bit without your phone, or even a book, or magazine to read. LET YOUR MIND REST. Let it wander. One author calls it #ChairTime, another, #WhiteSpace, another #HeadSpace (bonus points for anyone who can name who...); others call it #Mindfulness, or #Meditation. I call it, "taking my morning," or "sitting down." I'm not a Buddhist Monk, so I need something slow to intentionally partake in, like smoking a cigar (moderation is key), or preparing, then drinking my favorite mate drink. My mom is from the south of Brazil, so my version of mate is #Chimarrão. If I need to be somewhere at 8am, I wake up at 5am—because at some point after getting ready and eating breakfast, I take 30 minutes or more to just sit down. I've made due with just 10, or even 5; and throughout my day, I'll take a five minute walk break (not a "phone" break—that really doesn't help your mind) whenever I pause from my work. The greatest benefit to doing this, for me at least, is that I don't forget as much. I remember what I'm responsible for and what I need to execute, without even trying as my mind just wanders. That's just ONE benefit. Apart from mental sanity, doing this intentionally throughout your day, or at least in the morning, brings a myriad of other health benefits—look them up :-) To your mental sanity, Happy #HealthAndNutritionTuesday! (at Miami, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs8Siy1gy3w/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1cyijbhucldry

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Hit the Ground Running! In 1957, Martin Luther King, Jr. once asked an audience, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’“ #ZigZiglar teaches that we get what we want when we help others get what they want. I want to take it up a notch and and ask,  Who are you giving your time to today? Most of us DO have a day off today, right? So more time available? You see, I focus on time a lot because it is the one gift we can give others that can never be repaid. And with our time, we can DO things for others, like #MLK encouraged. I have a habit of taking off my wrist watch when I want to intentionally spend time with someone. In most cases, I even treat it like my phone—push it away, out of sight, and face down. So, here's my APPLICATION challenge: Give someone your #TIME this week.  It is the only gift which we will never get back. #HitTheGroundRunningMonday (at Miami, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs5qRgeABoX/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=c5h0mprc21id

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Here's a #Joke! Now, it took me a second to understand this one, but when I did, I had a hearty #laugh—hope you will too: BAGS OF SAND A man on a bike, carrying two sacks on his shoulders, was stopped by a guard while crossing the US-Mexican #border. "What's in the bags?" asked the guard. "Sand," the cyclist replied. "Get them off. We need to take a look." The guard emptied the bags and found out they contained nothing but sand. The man reloaded his bags and continued across the border. A week later, the same man was crossing again with two more bags. The guard demanded to see them, and again they contained nothing but sand. This continued every week for six months, until one day the cyclist failed to appear. A few days later, that same guard ran into the #cyclist in the city. "Hey, where have you been?" the guard asked. "You sure had us wondering! We knew you were smuggling something across the border. So tell me and I won't say a word. What was it?" The man smiled and told him the truth. "Bicycles!" #HereIsAJokeSunday (at Miami, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs2w6S2grTW/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=16lhbxun53e54

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Scripture Saturday You talk too much. Yep, you heard me right—you talk too much and it's causing you to burn out. This Monday's post about setting aside 2 hrs of uninterrupted work led me to reminisce about how I've been through #burnout myself; so we're going to look at some #bibleverses that will teach us to PROMISE LESS and DO MORE. Whatever your stance is on the Bible, you can still gather wisdom from this collection of 66 books. @businessinsider even ran an article showing how the most read book in the world is the #bible —far outselling any other book with a "whopping 3.9 billion copies sold over the last 50 years." We would be amiss if we completely ignored this Book. Today's main verse—Matthew 5:37—"But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one." Create #healthyboundaries , as @thedailydrcloud puts it, and don't feel the need to have to give a reason for everytime you decline an offer—just politely and professionally say "no." Smile, and BASK PROUDLY in the awkward silence that follows. You'll only gain respect. Don't get caught in a story you tell. Ecclesiastes 5:5 reads— "Better not to vow than to vow and not pay." When you're late, just apologise. Don't go into long winded explanations. The damage is already done. Unsolicited explanations will only make you seem like a person full of excuses. It's better not to talk unless asked to explain. Ever have the feeling when someone uses a lot of words that they're lying? Well, you're not alone—Proverbs 10:19— "In the multitude of words sin is not lacking, but he who restrains his lips is wise." Charisma coaches (yes, there is such a thing) say we are perceived better when we use less words, and listen more. And this is confirmed in the Bible too—Proverbs 17:28— "Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; when he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive." The above probably evolved into the more well known saying—"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt." Dont overcommit to things. Stay in the game! "A living dog is better than a dead lion (Ecclesiastes 9:4)." #scripturesaturday (at Miami, Florida) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bs02E0UAiWg/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=sb0rhj9c52yq