See no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil

Eleanor Roosevelt, the wife of one of the greatest presidents America has ever had, said that small minds discuss people, average minds discuss events, while great minds discuss ideas.

Going by that maxim, I am convinced that most of us have small brains (no pun intended). Before you start feeling offended, I will clear the air for you because, whichever way we look at it, most of us lack ideas but find pleasure in talking and badmouthing others.

Sometimes, we get so immersed in cheap talk that I wonder when they have time to ruminate on tomorrow and what the future holds for them. Have you ever known how gossip, especially office gossip, can distract you from excelling in your career?

The difference between a wise person and a fool is a word away

Religious books talk of keeping our mouths shut. If one is a fool but keeps his mouth shut, it would be difficult to gauge him; he will be viewed as a wise person.

The ability to achieve goals is inversely proportional to unreasoned talk.

This mathematical altruism is evident during normal office and family meetings. Let me explain. In most cases, those people who blurt out things are more often than not the poorest performers and you can take my word to the bank.

You can tell a fool by thewords of their mouths rather than using any other criteria. What kind of person has time to listen to the folly oozing out of a mind that does not practice critical and creative thinking?

Sometimes, I find myself around such people. Rarely do I hear people talk about anything developmental. I have realized that as long as we froth in our mouths, talking ourselves hoarse about Simba SC vs. Young Africans (Yanga), sex and trivia, we will end up being poorer and poorer. What I am saying here is that we should elevate our thoughts and talk about ideas.

This country is well endowed with tools of self-development, but only those whose ideas overshadow our mouths.