Defuse

“Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm.” – Publilius Syrus

In tension-filled situations, we can contribute to the stress or defuse it with a calm, cool response. I jumped on the complain train yesterday and it was hard to get off. Today, when a situation escalated, I chose to defuse it with a positive response, even though I didn’t feel like it. The storm settled and the sea was calm. Our first response is not always our best response, even if we are “right”. We need to think about the lasting impact of our words – to ourselves and others. Cast words that edify. They call it the high road for a reason. Let’s take it.