Whoa, stop!

Have you ever found yourself going so fast in one direction, especially the wrong direction, that you just could not stop? When I was a kid acting on impulse, my engineer father would say, "Hold your horses and think about what you are doing." I never quite understood him until I watched cowboys "bulldog" at a rodeo.

So often we act impulsively and jump headfirst into a project, activity, or decision without thinking about the consequences -- good and bad -- but nevertheless, consequences. We trip over the details to move ahead because we know, "It's the right thing to do," at least in our minds.

I'm not sure why this image and thought come to mind right now. Perhaps, it has something to do with the upcoming political conventions, the presidential election, and all the verbal attacks by, and on, each candidate. Sure, I could join the forray with a barrage of cynical remarks, but why add fuel to the runaway verbal fire. It really is time to say, "Whoa, stop. Hold your horses." Think about the issues, the policies, the details, and the consequences, then make your decision.