As promised yesterday, I went back to my journal and noticed that I had skipped over quite a bit of information.

A good part of the reason for that is because I want to stand well within the bounds of Attorney-Client Privilege which requires avoiding over disclosure. You know, it’s that old war-time quip: LOOSE LIPS MIGHT SINK SHIPS!

And this is exactly what I want to talk about today. You see when you hear that quip, you are hearing a call for circumspection of speech.

AI Overview: “Loose lips sink ships” is a World War II-era slogan that warns against sharing sensitive or confidential information, as careless talk could aid the enemy and have serious consequences.

Actually, the first time that I heard this was from my wife – a non-native speaker – who works in the boat industry. Except, her restatement had eliminated the word “might” which serves as an attempt to more severely constrict the muscles comprising the oral sphincter.

But why is this important, Bobby? You’re neither talking about war nor the boating business.

The reason why this is important is because when you get that original call from your “still small voice” … like the one that indicated to me that I should check back with the micro-bike manufacturer who was thinking of closing down shop the same day that a bike manufacturer-themed, Chase credit card advert came in the mail … DO NOT IMMEDIATELY SHARE YOUR IDEA WITH OTHERS!

The only thing that could be worse than that is to indiscriminately share the method by which you arrived at your idea. You do that and the people around you will think that you need to have your head checked if not have you thrown into a white, padded cell.

Now, this doesn’t mean that you don’t take note of what has happened. You just keep that information to yourself and only tell someone in a community like the Napoleon Hill Institute – aka NHI.

Oh got it! NHI is full of kooks.

No. I’m not seeking to imply that at all. Instead, what you should draw from this is that the Napoleon Hill Institute is a place where you can share an idea which is brought to you by intuition and it will be nurtured.

In fact, this past Friday on a call called “The Lion’s Den” which is taught by master teacher Dan Mathews whose background includes study in both science and religion, Dan related a story which illustrates the point perfectly.

At inception, that little nudge from your “still small voice” is as feint as a candle.

Yes, it’s burning. But if you don’t protect it, not only can the wind blow it out, so too can the slightest “puff.” And that “puff” can be the slightest criticism from almost anyone.

And right here I am reminded of another master teacher and mentor of mine, the late Bob Proctor.

Bob sometimes related the story about how after he had built up his cleaning business to a multi-million operation in a half decade; and after he had visited for the first time with Earl Nightingale; and after he had been working for Earl as the director of marketing at Nightingale-Conant, he decided he wanted to branch out and do what Earl was doing … build his own personal development company in large part through speaking engagements. So far so good.

Bob then recorded a few of his ideas on a cassette recorder and went to a friends house to share what he had put together on his cassette tape.

Bob related that he was super excited. He hit play and within a moment his countenance had fallen.

His friend didn’t see it in the cards for poor Bob. In fact, as Bob related it, his friend was a bit embarrassed. Bob then exclaimed:

He was embarrassed for me!

Ouch. It’s one thing for people to be embarrassed by you. Often they will seek to discount it as some sort of individual quirk. But, it is quite another to be embarrassed for you.

The meaning that conveys is something akin to … “Oh my, you’re going to have one hell of a time.”

Bob related that he stopped the cassettes’ play and said to his friend as he made his way to the door with a barely audible murmur – ‘Maybe it’s not such a great idea after all.’

But as Bob was driving back home as I remember the story, he said to himself: ‘No he’s not! He is not going to steal my dream. This is my dream!’

Good for Bob! Imagine how many countless 10s, 100s of thousands, and perhaps millions of people who Bob has helped because he didn’t allow the spark of the idea which he had acted upon get snuffed out by his friend.

Now, here we should step back and realize that this friend was very likely meaning the very best for Bob.

That said, the friend couldn’t see Bob’s vision, he just didn’t have the awareness to be able to do this.

Now this Bob has a bit of a different story to tell with respect to who he told his idea and its reception.

I told my Dad. And my Dad’s reaction wasn’t merely some sort of look of incredulity, his instead was more like a Defcon 2 intervention.

Now is not the time to distinguish what I am in this moment going to identify as the 5 Defcon levels of intervention other than to say that a Defcon 2 intervention for me is a level of dissuasion which would still drive most people to tears.

I’ve said it before, I’ll write it here. “My father is a ball breaker!” Enough said about that.

But, I’ve become even more of a ball breaker. Unfortunately, the balls I break almost all of the time are my own. OUCH!

And this might be the most important point to draw from this discussion, when you hear that “still, small voice” try to make sure that the “puff” created by your own voice isn’t the one that blows it out either!

Check back tomorrow to find out where this conversation is going. I’ve got a lot of different conversational paths to take and by then I’ll have chosen one to take.

Now, if you want to join the Napoleon Hill Institute, probably the best way to do this is by checking out our Self-Discipline Camps through this link [HERE].

Cheers! BZ/JUSTICE SMILES, pllc

Image Attribution: This is a war poster for which I have no affiliation, but you can purchase it at Art.com through this link [HERE].