Here’s a quote from Einstein on the equation of life:
If A is a success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x; y is play; and z is keeping your mouth shut.
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x and y in the equation are givens. We tend to fall off the edge of the world because we lose sight of either x or y. Some people don’t have enough x and some don’t have enough y. Too much of either can hurt you as well. But it’s z that I’m really interested in. Is success always keeping your mouth shut?
I’m sure that Einstein would immediately say “no,” because it’s all in the context of moment. So, if the context is right, practicing z is a good thing. But, if it’s time to speak, z will cause you more grief and unhealthy stress than you can imagine (or maybe you can). Fear can easily push us toward z–as can overbearing people or difficult situations.
To me, z is the most unstable element in the equation. It’s just not that simple.
OK, I will now practice z.