Do not respond before your inner self arrives

There are messages, criticisms, and proposals that trigger an immediate response. Emotion arrives first and wants to send the email, close the matter, or hit back before understanding what is happening. Waiting a little is neither cowardice nor indecision. It can be the most concrete way to govern yourself: gathering data, distinguishing fact from interpretation, praying, consulting, and letting the intensity drop enough to listen to reason as well. Not all responses allow delay, but many would improve with a pause. Prudence does not seek impossible certainty; it seeks a decision clean enough of pride, hurry, or fear. Sometimes the bravest step is saying: "I want to think about it and will answer you tomorrow."