#025 – Know How to Take a Hint
Know how to take a Hint. ‘Twas once the art of arts to be able to discourse; now ’tis no longer sufficient. We must know how to take a hint, especially in disabusing ourselves. He cannot make himself understood who does not himself easily understand. But on the other hand there are pretended diviners of the heart and lynxes of the intentions. The very truths which concern us most can only be half spoken, but with attention we can grasp the whole meaning. When you hear anything favourable keep a tight rein on your credulity; if unfavourable, give it the spur.
There are signs all around us as coaches. It may not be audible, but they are there. A lot of times we turn a blind eye to them. “The player will shake it off”, “They are THAT hurt”, and “It won’t happen to us”. Whether it is ego or stubbornness, we often ignore warning signs and hints to the point where they cause issues down the road. Take a moment to assess those little signals to see if there is more to them. A path you have been seeking may be in front of you if you get out of your own way. The key is the last line of this lesson: “keep a tight rein of your credulity…give it the spur”. We have to be careful that we take everything that is favorable (compliments, discussions, hints) to heart and believe it always as true. In the same notion, we have to make sure that we don’t just dismiss everything that we see or hear that is negative. Those could be valid warning signs. They key is how we take the hint and how we research and receive it.
This blog series is based on the book “The Art of Worldly Wisdom” by Balthasar Gracián. This book was written for advice on how to achieve personal and professional success. This blog series aims to visit the points of wisdom and put them in the spotlight of the coaching and education lens.
