Image: Flickr/Sodanie Chea

“Talk low, talk slow, and don’t talk too much.” (John Wayne)

John Wayne may not have been a great model of family values in his personal life, but he understood some things about what makes a grown up a grown up. His advice here is particularly insightful in a world of ever-increasing noise.

For example, when your toddler won’t go to bed, when your teenager has broken curfew (again), when your spouse “forgets” to move the laundry from the washing machine to the dryer, when your co-worker fails to prepare for the big presentation — remember this quote. The heat of the moment is not the time for a lecture or a tongue-lashing. The heat of the moment calls for calm leadership.

In order to remain ScreamFree when all your buttons are being pushed, think of The Duke. Talk low, talk slow, and don’t talk too much. You’ll be able to think with clarity and act with confidence once you get yourself under control, pilgrim.