Hundreds of thousands of people everyday wonder if it would make a difference if they had only waited a day before saying it. Some have even regretted why they did n`t  wait a minute before uttering it out. To those who are married this has sometimes meant the difference between trust and mistrust or even worse the only reason to divorce. Scores have lost their jobs just because they would not tame their tongue- at least for that instant. When you are being dragged into an argument by some one with an elevated temper or if put the other way round – at the time when your temper is elevated, then silence is the winning answer.  

One of the guides to a peaceful life Iv`e learnt over time is understanding my limitations. And of course as some of you have already guessed, this is both through personal experiences and through observing others. The world today has a tendency of showing us what we don`t have and how we can achieve them through…… many ways. There is a palpable state of urgency in our desire to acquire even the non essential commodities and this we want to do in the shortest possible time. There are few things in the world today that bring about regrets like trying to unrealistically compare ourselves with others. Not being honest to ourselves may bring about unnecessary heartaches and failures. Understanding our limitations doesn’t mean giving up on our dreams, neither does it encourage laziness, but it removes the unnecessary and undesirable pressures as we strive to achieve our goals. The result is a peaceful journey towards one`s dreams; you realize that once you have enjoyed that peace it doesn’t really  matter if things have ended the way you wanted or not.

Have you ever had this important decision you have to make but you are uncertain of when to do so? And as you are in that state of indecisiveness some other seemingly more urgent issues come up for you to decide upon. I have experienced many such situations; postponing making a decision on the first issue one had in mind is what many refer to as “putting on the shelf”. The spectrum of such issues is wide; on one end it may be a decision of when to water your indoor plant and on the other end it may be a decision of whether or not  you should continue flirting with a married classmate. Each one of them has different kinds and severity of potential consequences if not dealt with immediately. Whereas putting some decisions on the shelf may be necessary, doing so with others may lead to undesirable repercussions. Recognizing which ones can safely be put on the shelf and for how long is not always easy, but sometimes it’s our deliberate act to do so even with the complete knowledge of the disastrous sequel should things go wrong. I have come to learn that one should think twice before putting some decisions on the shelf. As a Christian I seek God`s guidance to help me with which decisions can wait and those that should not.

It’s widely said that experience teaches the best, but it is a hard way of learning! I would appreciate if any one has a thought on this post.