I was asked to sit in on a meeting the other day when, after an interminable period of time listening to some others drone on, this phrase came popping out of my mouth, “You are not furthering this conversation, so until we figure out how to do that, it’s pointless to keep going.” The silence in the room was deafening and then someone chuckled and said “ I’ll second that” and we moved on.
After that meeting it dawned on me that maybe we should all ask that question more often in our lives.
Are you furthering the conversation? Are they furthering the conversation? And most importantly, Am I Furthering The Conversation? I’m not just talking about our spoken conversations but all the different types of conversations we have in our lives.
•Are we furthering the conversation or are we sitting back wishing we were?
•Are we furthering the conversation or just chiming in to add something in the hopes of being noticed?
•Are we furthering the conversation or continually interrupting it to prove how smart we are or to prove how others aren’t as smart as they think they are.
So how exactly do we further the conversation? There are many ways, the most effective being through our actions. The least effective is almost always by only using your words. The worst is by just walking away from it altogether. Show others, allow them to feel instead of think. Allow them to listen with their heart and soul instead of their ears. Allow them to see through your eyes instead of being blinded by their own closed mindedness. Live your life today in a way that not only allows them, but makes them want to live their lives like that tomorrow!
Constantly ask yourself if you’re furthering the conversation with your family, at your job, as you meditate or while you’re all alone but frustrated or upset. Start there and once you’re confident, find other categories and ways to incorporate this incredibly powerful concept into your life. Pretty soon it will leak into other areas of your life and the lives of others around you.
Congratulations on talking the next step to doing that! By simply considering the things we’ve talked about here, YOU’VE ALREADY FURTHERED THE CONVERSATION! You should be very proud of yourself and excited about the amazing possibilities you’ve just unlocked.
Peace
……Gregg