I have always liked playing in the mud.

One of the things I really like about mountain biking is that it is so much fun to hurtle yourself down a small trail between the trees. Even more fun is when there are mud puddles every now and then. You might even find yourself smiling or even worse, laughing.

Yep. there have been a few times when I’ve been having a blast and my mouth is wide open in a smile when I hit a puddle and whap! I’ve got a mouth full of mud.

This made me think of a principle that has served me well in business.

When you’re going through mud, keep your mouth closed.

Here’s the funny thing about business. You can’t do business without interacting with other people. There are partners, employees, contractors, vendors, and customers.

In the course of doing business, you’ll have many opportunities to hear gossip or someone talking about someone else. There will be times that a customer wants to push back and get into an argument or a co-worker wants to sling some mud about someone else in the office.

When the mud starts flying, keep your mouth closed.

Not keeping your mouth shut usually adds to the volume of mud being slung. The best way to stay clean is to not join in.

Getting muddy while mountain biking? Yes!

Slinging mud in business? No!