I often hear this sentence, and years ago I read about this article says how people use it to sound smart. Unfortunately I was not able to grab and use it smoothly as many people do, because I feel weird to do sth I do not feel right...

If I do not have a point to make, by taking that step back why I want to pretend I know?

Until recently, I realized I used it quite few times in meetings. It used it so naturally, and I felt awesome afterwards. It was such a valid perspective, "take a step back, are we digressing away from our main goal? is this the critical piece we want to build as a product?"

What I want to say is, things take time to build. It's not about use the which word, it's about the confidence, experience, and wisdom you accumulated over years behind those word. When I was young, I wanted to sound smarter, assertive, wise. It's ok, let that "be better" drive push me grow. But today, I learnt to take a step back, do not rush on achieve sth overnight, do what I need to do, and then give people and myself time to let things happen naturally.

Take a step back. Breathe.