Whew! This was the roughest week of work I've had in over 18 months. At one point someone with ulterior motives tried to goad me into bad-mouthing a fellow employee. I was tempted - really tempted - to take advantage of it.
I'm thankful to God that I have lived and failed often enough that on this occasion, I stepped outside myself and thought how many times giving in to this temptation has left me feeling weak in the aftermath. "Hold your tongue," I resolved.
The conversation drifted on, and I had more opportunities to sound off, and I did not.
When I make mistakes of weakness, like sending negative e-mail, the pangs of regret set in within an hour. In this reverse case, it took about three hours and a good nap before the effects started to set in.
The success of those few moments has me feeling now like the entire day was a win.
Often the most important muscles to flex are the ones that shut the lips and still the tongue.
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