“Hit While the Iron Is Cold”
You’ve probably heard the phrase “hit the iron while it’s hot,” but when emotions run high it is often best not to hit at all. Waiting for the iron to cool down will not aggravate the hot situation.
We all do what we regret when our hot temper takes over . That’s why Quora’s Mira Zaslove shares some advice she got from Stanford professor Irwin Yalom:
Hit while the iron is cold .
Don’t quit your job, ditch your spouse, or get into unpleasant controversies on Facebook when emotions run high. Whether you have the urge to punch, sleep on it, go to the gym, take a long walk, or avidly watch “Americans …” While waiting for a punch, you usually know you don’t have to. And if you do this, you can act with awareness. Any hot emotions grew into more meaningful cool determination.
It’s hard not to lash out and make hasty decisions when your emotions are running high, but you must look ahead and take action to repair the damage before it even starts.
Mira Zaslova’s answer to the question “What is good random advice?” | Quora