Most people never intended to end up where they did.
The problem wasn’t the disaster.
The problem was ignoring the warning.
Every WOE is usually preceded by a WHOA.
I used to do a great deal of jail counseling.
One thing became very clear very quickly.
People behind bars generally do not want to be there.
The loss of freedom.
The loss of privacy.
The loss of choices.
The loss of dignity.
Nobody wakes up one morning hoping to arrive there.
Yet there they were.
And as I listened to their stories, I discovered something fascinating.
Most of them passed through a place called WHOA before they arrived at a place called WOE.
WHOA…
Is life’s warning system.
WOE…
Is life’s consequence system.
The difference between the two can determine the quality of your life.
As you move through your days, you are constantly making choices.
Some are small.
Some are large.
Some seem insignificant at the time.
Yet every choice creates a direction.
Every direction creates a destination.
And every destination begins with a decision.
WHOA IS THE MOMENT YOU PAUSE.
It is the voice that says:
“Slow down.”
“Think about this.”
“Look again.”
“Are you sure?”
“Consider the consequences.”
It is your conscience tapping you on the shoulder.
It is wisdom asking for a hearing.
It is experience trying to save you from repeating a mistake.
It is that uncomfortable feeling that something isn’t quite right.
HEADS UP IS A GOOD THING…
IF WE LISTEN.
Most of us have experienced WHOA.
Before speaking in anger.
Before making a poor financial decision.
Before entering a bad relationship.
Before taking a shortcut.
Before crossing a line.
Before violating our own values.
The warning came.
The pause was offered.
The opportunity existed.
The question became:
Would we listen?
Unfortunately, many people override the warning.
They silence it.
Ignore it.
Rationalize it.
Argue with it.
And continue forward anyway.
That is when WOE begins packing its bags.
WOE IS THE AFTERMATH.
It is the consequence that arrives after the ignored warning.
The broken relationship.
The damaged reputation.
The lost opportunity.
The financial hardship.
The emotional pain.
The regret.
The lesson that could have been avoided.
WOE is no respecter of persons.
It visits the rich.
The poor.
The educated.
The uneducated.
The powerful.
The powerless.
Anyone who repeatedly ignores WHOA eventually becomes acquainted with WOE.
As I wrote in Pearls for the Soul:
“Wisdom whispers before consequences shout.”
— Richie Naggar, Pearls for the Soul
The interesting thing about life is that most major problems do not arrive without notice.
There were clues.
There were signs.
There were warnings.
There were opportunities to stop.
To reconsider.
To change course.
To make a better choice.
WHOA was present.
We simply failed to honor it.
NO…
WOE UNTO YOU.
You have heard that phrase before.
WOE often means distress.
Sorrow.
Grief.
Regret.
Loss.
The aftermath of poor choices or ignored truth.
Sometimes WOE comes as correction.
Sometimes it comes as consequence.
Either way, it is uncomfortable.
And often expensive.
YES…
WHOA UNTO YOU.
WHOA means pause.
Stop.
Reconsider.
Reflect.
Listen.
Observe.
Slow down long enough to allow wisdom to catch up with emotion.
A horse understands WHOA.
A child understands STOP.
Human beings often need reminders.
The faster life becomes, the more valuable WHOA becomes.
Before sending the email.
Before making the purchase.
Before speaking the words.
Before acting on impulse.
Before reacting emotionally.
Pause.
Breathe.
Think.
Consider.
Then proceed.
WHAT THEN?
CHOOSE YOUR W.
WOE…
Or…
WHOA.
One leads toward consequence.
The other leads toward wisdom.
One creates regret.
The other creates clarity.
One arrives after the mistake.
The other arrives before it.
Be open.
Be teachable.
Be reachable.
Listen first to your conscience.
Then listen to wise counsel from others.
Feedback is not your enemy.
Correction is not your enemy.
Guidance is not your enemy.
Many times they are simply WHOA arriving in a different form.
The people who live well are not necessarily smarter than everyone else.
They simply learned to stop when life says stop.
And because of that…
They avoid a great deal of unnecessary WOE.
The next time life whispers…
Listen carefully.
WHOA…
May be trying to save you from WOE.
— Richie
Pearls for the Soul
when you feed the soul, you feed everything.
https://pearlsforthesoul.com
Been expecting you