There is a difference between catching ourselves just before we shoot off our mouth or right after.

 

One of my sons is a police officer and one of the things they are taught to do when unholstering their weapon is to initially put their trigger finger on the trigger guard and not on the trigger itself. This prevents them from accidentally firing and causing avoidable harm.

 

Do you have a trigger guard on your mouth?

 

We all do; it’s called awareness.

 

If you employ your awareness before opening your mouth, you’ll save yourself from prosecution.

 

My late mentor, Dr. Dave Dobson had an expression that illustrates that we have a choice before we speak. He said, “Words are the caboose on the choo-choo of life.” He taught that we have a picture register in our mind and a feeling response to that picture well before any words are formed.

 

We just have to become aware of these signals so that we avoid our automatic firing mode.

 

It takes some practice on the firing range. That means that we train ourselves to become aware of the signals that cause us to automatically speak. This awareness keeps us from firing at the target of the woman carrying the baby.

 

When our vocal reaction is automatic, we will hit unintended targets causing us to issue ineffective apologies.

 

Once we recognize that we’re going to speak just before we do, we discover our personal trigger guard. This allows us to use the magic bullet of awareness and gives us the opportunity not to misfire.

 

Start noticing that words can be just as harmful as bullets. Safety training can save you from having the dictionary thrown at you.

 

All the best,

John