“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures of emotion.”

(Dale Carnegie)

We humans are driven by our emotions far more than our thoughts. Learning to differentiate between your thoughts and emotions, therefore, is among the best of all human skills. Here’s a guideline:

A feeling can only be stated as a single word:

• One does not feel “like hitting someone,” they feel angry. Or hurt. Or aggravated.

• One does not feel “like a failure,” they feel disappointed, insecure, or scared about their future.

If you can’t state your feeling in one word, then you’re actually stating a thought you’re having about that feeling:

• “I feel enraged, and I want to hit someone in an effort to feel better.”

• “I feel disappointed, and that leads me to think I’m going to fail at anything I try.”

Practice this today. At some point, ask yourself how you’re feeling, and limit it to one word. Start with the simplest of categories: good, bad, sad, glad. If you can get more descriptive than that, do so.

Peace begins with pause,