Article October 18, 2021 Issue

Rein in willful insistence

We can learn to allow any misguided or overly strong desire to be tempered or reined in.

John Quincy Adams III

There’s an aphorism that states, “The wildest colts make the best horses,” implying that once the colt is reined in and trained, it willingly obeys.

Like a wild colt, I’ve had numerous times in my life when I’ve jumped the gun and have come out of the starting block too early—speaking out of turn in a moment of enthusiasm, inserting myself into a conversation, out-yelling someone in order to drive home my point, or prematurely correcting another in advance of the lesson being learned.

I could go on, but I’m certain you get the point. Many times this was done good-naturedly, or with good intent, but there were also times my actions were based on willful insistence.

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