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You’ve probably heard the quote:

“Silence and smile are two powerful tools. Smile is the way to solve many problems, and silence is the way to avoid many problems.” 

Sounds poetic, right? But let’s be honest, if you’re living with hormonal teenagers, working in customer service, dealing with your ex, or just navigating life as a human being in 2025… then silence and smiling can feel like Olympic-level acts of self-restraint.

But stick with me. These two simple tools might just be the superhero cape you didn’t know you had hanging in your emotional wardrobe. Let’s unpack why.

Read more: Silence & Smile: The Dynamic Duo of Everyday Peace  

Start by Listening, Not Defending

You wanna know what real growth looks like? It’s not meditating in the Himalayas or reading five parenting books in a week. It’s looking your child dead in the eye while they say, “Mum, you’re being a B_ _ _ _ H,” and not replying with “When I was your age, I’d have got a slipper for even thinking that!”

Nope. It’s standing there, menopausal, emotional, probably sweating like you’ve just done a HIIT workout by accident and saying, “Okay. Tell me more.”

It sounds easy. It’s not.

Read more: Breaking Generational Curses Isn’t Glamorous, It’s Bloody Hard Work

You know the saying, “We’re drowning in information but starving for transformation”? Well, if that isn’t the most accurate summary of modern life, I don’t know what is.

Take last Thursday, for example. I had a hankering for something sweet. Something decadent. Something that didn’t require me to turn on the oven. So, I did what any self-respecting adult with Wi-Fi and a cupboard full of questionable ambitions would do, I Googled “no-bake cheesecake recipe.”

Simple enough, right?

Wrong.

Read more: Drowning in Information, Starving for Transformation: The Cheesecake Conundrum and Other...

No one speaks about the resentment you have towards yourself after you didn’t listen to your gut. So, let me break the silence.

Your gut isn’t just there to process chickpea curry and make awkward noises in yoga class. It’s the universe’s dodgy little messenger stuffed in your abdomen, whispering, “Oi, this isn’t it.” But do we listen? Of course not. We let logic, fear, comfort, and that seductive little gremlin called Avoidance take the wheel while our gut just sits there, arms crossed like a disappointed aunty who told you not to date that guy with the man bun and emotional unavailability.

Let’s rewind.

Read more: That Time I Told My Gut to Shut Up (And Deeply Regretted It)