Innocent questions can be loaded guns.

When a loved one asks you, “How did you sleep last night?,” don’t dig in and say, “Oh, you know, I slept all right. I fell asleep easily, but in the middle of the night my mind was racing. I fell back asleep ultimately but I feel a bit groggy just now.”

Don’t say that. Don’t say any of it. Cut it off before it begins.

Instead, say, “I slept great. I feel great!” And believe it.

When you answer in the first way, you dump on your loved one. You imply that life is hard. You want sympathy. You believe, too, that you’re just speaking truthfully. Ask yourself, “How does he or she feel upon hearing that?” It’s not pretty; that’s for sure.

Just speaking truthfully, you say once more? Nonsense. It’s a bad habit we’ve all indulged in. Zip it.

The alternative? Feel energy within and answer from there: “I slept great. I feel great!”

“But I don’t actually feel that way.” Yes, because you’ve bought the thought that you didn’t sleep great. You’re not yet open to the proposal that most thoughts are incantatory: they conveyeth what they sayeth.

If you accept that thoughts convey something deeper, then best to convey the sense that life is great. This is called a gift.

Play so big that you keep offering gifts.