The Right Speech Challenge

We all talk (and email, post, etc) every day. But are we doing it Right?

Make your world a better place to live in: join me in taking the Right Speech Challenge.

It’s simple and becomes easier with practice. To engage in Right Speech you:

• don’t lie or deceive
• don’t speak badly of others
• don’t use rude, impolite or abusive language
• don’t gossip

Try it for one whole day. It’s okay if you slip up. Just notice it and re-commit.

Here are my checks before speaking, sending, or posting:

• am I about to put anyone down?
• am I about to talk about someone who isn’t present?
• would I say the exact same thing to that person’s face?

Also internally notice others’ speech and when it is "not Right". Gently steer conversations away from negativity and gossip and toward the positive.

Mark Twain is credited with saying:

“If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.”

I’d add:

“When you only say things you’re happy for anyone to hear, it doesn’t matter who finds out.”

Just the other day I consciously squelched a few less-than-kind thoughts before they became comments. I realized I was about to say them in part just to fill the silence. With a tiny bit of effort I was able to re-focus and found something positive to say. It felt like a present to myself and the people I was with.

Words have great power. Make your world a better place to live in by using Right Speech.