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Truly listen.

 

 

 

Trust your innate abilities.

 

 

 

Remember what You already know.

 

 

   

Woman Being Free

"You Would Think"

"YOU WOULD THINK"

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard this phrase lately —"you would think" that he, she or they would know better; behave differently; act accordingly; do what I want; listen to me; take my advice; follow my lead and so on ….

Yet, what is this phrase really about? What is the signal it’s sending You?

“You would think ….” is a great road sign — a reminder on so many levels.

When we use the phrase “you would think”, we’re immediately narrowing our perspective, creating a judgment about someone or a something, and dismissing other possibilities.

It’s a way of shoehorning life into our expectations and distancing Our Selves from what really might be happening in a given moment.

“You would think” is a disconnect from the Present. It doesn’t allow for compassion, understanding, or consideration. 

It can give us a (false) sense of superiority—as if we know all the answers, looking down from Mt. Olympus on the mere mortals below. The image that comes to mind for me is someone in street clothes walking along the side of a pool, watching people swimming laps, and critiquing their pace, form and style—without ever getting wet.

Remember that “You would think” can also surface in disguise: “How could they”? “What possessed them?” “What were they thinking?” “How stupid, lame or idiotic!”

“You would think” is a reminder for You to come back to the Present and reframe the moment in a way that allows for other possibilities and teachings.  

The Practice? Catch Your Self using the phrase — or your version of it:

Stop.

Listen to Your Self.

Take a mindful breath or two or three.

Dare to say something more neutral, kinder, or forgiving.

OR

Say / do nothing at all. 

Just allow Your Self to be in the moment.

Here’s to softening our (too, too) critical ways.

Watch. Listen. Practice. SwaffWords© Video.