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Always rise to an early meal, but eat your fill before a feast. If you're hungry you have no time to talk at the table.

Sometimes on a Thursday I share a Viking quote. I choose a quote randomly and sometimes based upon relevance or meaning to my life, and share some thoughts on it. These thousand year old phrases still offer value in modern society. _{image source}

This week's Viking quote

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Always rise to an early meal, but eat your fill before a feast. If you're hungry you have no time to talk at the table.

_{- The Havamal -}

Always rise to an early meal...

Back in Viking times, rising early was probably what people generally did; there would have been a lot to do around the farm including the farming itself, trading, repairs, making items and the general things a person needed to stay alive. Life was harder than than it is now. When raiding, rising early would have been even more important...who wants to be late to the battle right?

I think this part of the quote relates to work-ethic and being prepared to ensure there is time to do everything in life from the various tasks, to the personal and emotional aspects of life. By rising early, let's call it, having ownership, discipline, responsibility and a solid work-ethic, a person puts themselves in a better position to attain greater results and achieve more. Basically, get up and get started, and take ownership, is what this part of the quote hints at.

...but eat your fill before a feast. If you're hungry you have no time to talk at the table.

Now, the other bit.

Sure, this could simply mean that if you're busy eating you'll not have the time or chance to converse with others and that could mean missing out on valuable conversation, interaction, observation, relationship-building, and knowledge or wisdom from others. But, probably predictably, I think it means more.

As a Viking, especially when raiding or at war, these things listed above would have been critical to success. They did business around the table, and business was planning and winning battles. They considered, weighed and measured, strategized and made plans, built relationships, alliances, and broke them. Hmm, that sounds familiar...Sort of like me doing business at a café or an office boardroom in modern day society...Interesting.

When I set up meetings, in business, I plan the entire thing from the initial preparation, desired outcomes, what time I arrive (always early), where I sit, how I want my body language and words to present, the tone and modulation of my voice and...what I eat or drink. Does that sound pedantic? Fucken good, because it's this sort of behaviour that makes a business person successful; Preparation and attention to detail.

Basically, I seek to control the situation with the intent to lean it the way I wish it to go, or at least, to give it the best chance of doing so...I guess, no different to a couple of people preparing for a date, right? Sure, that meeting might be a little more fluid, but essentially, it's the same thing; them being prepared for it will give it the best chance of success.

This part of the quote hints at the importance of the people one is with.

It suggests that, through giving them the right degree of attention, you're showing respect, and interest and in a business forum that's critical, just as it should be in a couple's relationship, friendships, social groups and so on...basically in any interaction with people you value. (...and probably in most general interactions also.) Showing genuine interest is pivotal to gaining the best results in human to human interaction and if one is distracted it's not going to happen effectively.

Sometimes the relationships we have are the most important thing.

This is often the case in business, friends groups, general society and certainly in intimate relationships. We don't live or act independently, we are a part of a greater community, and giving those we wish to draw closer to the right attention will build better connections and keep them together much better than not doing so.

It makes sense then, that distractions should be minimised or eliminated when interacting with people we value, and that's what the second part of the quote says. An example?

Should you make the effort to come to Australia, for instance, and we decide to meet up, I'd not spend my time eating, looking at my phone, reading a book or whatever, I'd be attentive, interested and engaged with you and would demonstrate that clearly...That's the essence of this quote; give the important people priority and do them the courtesy of being fully present and focused in the moment. This is a concept that works equally well in business and general relationships and in connections that are more intimate like a couple.

That's it for this week, a thousand year-old Viking quote about relationships and person to person engagement. It's a great quote really, one that has so many angles and I could write four more posts on it...but don't worry, I won't.

Please feel free to disagree with my interpretation and add your own in the comments below.

Skol.