Five ways/techniques on how to control your big mouth

It’s amazing how much hot soup our tongue is capable of getting us into. Am sure you can recollect many incidences in which you said something you ended up regretting. The search of wisdom has led man to seek wisdom from anywhere it could be found. And most men that society considers wise have one quality- they are economical with their words.

I know we have different personalities. I know some are extroverts while many others are introverts. But your personality should not be an excuse for a big mouth. Self discipline is a virtue and yes, you can learn to tame your tongue. Imagine how many fights we could avoid- imagine how many embarrassing moments you could evade, imagine how many jobs you could keep, imagine how many relationships would thrive- just by shutting up (maybe i should charge you for saving you).

Speech is often a mere shade of yellow but silence is always golden. When you remain silent, people believe you are a great thinker. People give you more respect. Of course that is not always the case but like the legendary Abraham Lincoln once said, it’s better to remain silent and be thought a fool than open your mouth and remove all doubt.

So many of us have a tongue problem. Of course, in over 90% of the cases, we never seem to realize it. But our friends do. And if you have some honest ones, well, you might want to ask them if they think you have a big mouth. But don’t ask if you are not prepared for an honest reply!

Now, to those that already know they have a problem, I will show you some creative ways to learn to slow down your tongue. But before I get there, have you heard of Robert Greene’s 48 laws of power? Well, Law number four actually recommends that you talk less. You can go to Google and read the rest for yourself. Even the scripture says that even a fool is thought to be wise if he keeps silent. Ok. I think I have justified myself enough. Here are the remedies to a big mouth:-

1. Water bottle
Always carry a water bottle with you. When you are about to start talking, take a sip of water but but don't swallow it immediately. This gives you time to cool down. During this time, you will be thinking and weighing your best reply. By the time you swallow the water, probably the other person will have gone to another topic or you will have thought of another more appropriate answer.

2. Sticky notes
Write down as many positive things as possible about the things or the people that irritate you. Stick them on your laptop, you fridge or anywhere you can easily reach. For instance you can right, “my boss is a hardworking man and not a fat bun” or “my neighbor’s dog is not mine so even if I don’t like, that won’t get me pissed off “ (Well, the one about your boss, don’t stick it on the office computer)

3. Change the topic
I love using this too. If a friend annoys me, I would rather switch to another topic and when I have cooled down, I will revisit the issue and we will solve it. The only problem is that it doesn’t work with all people. Some will insist you remain on the topic. If that happens, reach for that water bottle quick!

4. Prayer
I know. Not all of us are religious but it actually works. Pray to Jesus, or Allah. Or Budha or Mother Nature or whoever your God is. Some tongues are so unbridled that it calls for divine intervention-and i am not saying that in an insulting way

5. Self Control
I know it’s hard but nobody is born with self control. Exercise it until you learn how to control yourself. I saw an interesting bumper sticker that read, before you put your mouth into gear; make sure your brain is engaged. Think through your words before you let them escape your mouth. Always remember, words once out can’t go back in.