The Grasshopper hasn’t been around for a while. That usually happens when I get caught up in my life story instead of experiencing my life.

But there he was on my doorstep in the quiet of the early morning with this gem: “Facts change, wisdom doesn’t.”

Facts and circumstances are always in abundance but wisdom is scarce, especially when you give too much weight to the things that will weigh you down.

I coined a phrase back in the 90s. I called it “Of this world.” It was the observation I made when I noticed someone caught in the trap of their thoughts. You could easily see the manifestation on their face. There was noticeable pain caused by the current set of facts and circumstances they were wrestling with inside their head, which eventually spewed out of their mouth for public consumption.

Wisdom arrives when there is an absence of facts. That’s because wisdom runs on a separate track from facts and figures. It’s the part of you that quietly figures stuff out. The process never changes. Get quiet and get wise.

Notice that a new set of facts can get you to go off in countless directions. Wisdom always comes from the same place.

Wisdom is not a set of 1-2-3 directions but the process that delivers actionable information.

Wisdom also delivers the ability not to act, or better put, “react.”

Wisdom is not reactive; it’s responsive. If a fact makes you predictably react, you are acting on your knowledge. If a fact causes a pause in your thought process, you’re more likely to come up with a wise response.

There is a choice point where you can decide to go to your limited container of facts and figures or delve deeper into your reservoir of responses.

It’s from this deeper place that wisdom arrives. The facts and figures of yesterday will come and go but the wisdom of right now will always be constant. You can’t get to it if you’re constantly trying to figure things out.

Take a break from your facts and circumstance today and give your wisdom an opportunity to come out and play.

All the best,

John

Years ago, my friend Paul and I taught a course in communication. I was responsible for the non-verbal portion of the class and Paul taught the public speaking section.

I remember him teaching the class about the value of a pause. A pause allows time for the message you’ve just delivered to sink in and adds emphasis to it. A well placed pause also sets up the “pay off” idea or, for comedians, the punchline.

The pause even has a greater use when you apply it to your own life.

Pausing before you speak or act has been a learning experience for me. It’s an ongoing lesson but each time I remember to apply it, it pays dividends.

Culturally we are conditioned to have an instant answer. If we don’t, we may be judged as “slow on the uptake.” Men, more than women, have been brought up with the idea that we have to know and we have to know now. That’s why there are more male than female stutterers. “Out with it” is a high volume phrase that has produced more stutterers than you can imagine.

The problem is that the instant answer, too often, doesn’t answer the problem. Take the couple driving around looking for a location. If we have a culturally conditioned “must know” man behind the wheel, he’s likely not going to stop and ask for directions. “Don’t worry, I’ll get us there” is his response to a plea to stop and ask. A half hour later they are still lost.

He didn’t take time to pause.

Not only will pausing keep you from saying or doing something stupid, it has a bigger payoff than that. The pause in a high percentage of situations delivers a much better answer – one that you wouldn’t have received unless you paused.

Recondition yourself to pause more often before jumping into action or giving your instant answer. The pause will open the door to more possibilities and directions, and you won’t have to make as many course corrections.

All the best,

John

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