"You Had Me at Hello"

In the 1996 movie "Jerry Maguire" there is a famous line where Jerry (Tom Cruise) flies back home to meet Dorothy ( Renee Zellweger) to tell her that he loves her and wants her in his life, and she tells him "You had me at hello". What made that line so famous was that although the couple had been arguing for sometime, those five words "You had me at hello" said it all.

Sometimes in life when we say less, we are actually saying more!

When I was growing up, my friends and I would pass each other in the hall and nod our heads. It was our way of acknowledging each other. Nodding our heads was our way of letting the other person know that they meant something to us. Nodding our heads said it all.

Sometimes in life when we say less, we are actually saying more!

I know as a parent, I have on occasion had a tendency to say to much to my kids, when in reality had I said less, my message would have meant more. Sometimes a simple head nod, a reassuring smile or a disappointed shake of the head will say more to my children than anything else.

Sometimes in life when we say less, we are actually saying more!

As parents, we like to impart our wisdom on our children, usually in the form of some long drawn out story that would be worthy of the New York Times editorial page. But just like a bad editorial, you end up losing the reader (or in this case your child) if you say to much. Someone once told that every problem our kids have does not require a long, enlightening and life changing answer. Some answers just need to be short, sweet and to the point.

Sometimes in life when we say less, we are actually saying more!

Kids these days have access to so much information that their attention spans are short. Next time you want to make a statement, impart your wisdom or solve a problem, remember that sometimes in life a simple head nod says it all.

Sometimes in life when we say less, we are actually saying more!