The Power of Moments, a book by Chip and Dan Heath, can be summed up with this line:
This is what we mean by “thinking in moments”: to recognize when the prose of life needs punctuation.
I love that. Life is a prose we write ourselves; punctuate when necessary. I thought it’d be interesting to see what this might look like when taken literally.
Period (.)
Stop. Whatever you’re saying or doing, stop. There’s more to learn and receive when we listen. Stop. Know when things have to end to make way for new things. End. Make a statement, and commit to it. The world will interpret it however it wants to, but you’ve made yours. Now let it go.
Comma (,)
Pause. Before that next thought, catch a breath. Take a moment. Appreciate the silence in between thoughts. Thoughts that make up a larger idea. Substance and spaces. Feel your words and actions brake to a short halt. Pace yourself accordingly. Notice the slowness and the clarity as a result of it.
Exclamation point (!)
Get excited. Don’t be afraid to be loud about it. Who cares if they think you’re over the top? Add emotion where emotion demands to be. Don’t hold back. Vulnerability is not your weakness but your strength. Let it show. Be the wave, ride it, and go all in.
Question mark (?)
Never make assumptions. Be humble and realize you don’t know everything. The stranger knows something you don’t. Be curious and stay curious. Questions only lead to more questions, but the right questions lead to better ones, deeper ones. The more you know, the more you don’t. Humility is only the beginning.
Semi-colon (;)
Go on. If there’s more to the story, let the rest of the world know. Go on. Don’t stop at what’s acceptable, stop at your truth. Go on. The first half may have been crap, but the game’s not over yet. If you’re taking the L today, go on. Tomorrow’s another day. Go on. It’s just you against yourself.
Apostrophe (‘)
It’s yours. Own it. But also, own up to it. Take credit. Give credit. Know where you end and they begin. Know where they end and you build. Take initiative. Take responsibility. Take heart. It’s yours to own, it’s yours to lose, and it’s all yours to gain.
Ellipsis (…)
Build it up. Start somewhere and escalate. Crescendo! They won’t know what’s coming and they don’t have to, just yet. Manufacture the suspense. Set the stage. Spice it up. Timing, timing. Too soon and you’re not ready. Too late and it’s over. Only you know when.
Dash (-)
Make connections. Don’t worry about breadth. Depth is the end goal. Put this and that together. Make some words up. Get creative. Experiment. Collaborate. The result is always, always greater than the sum of its parts.