I recently posted on the topic of “How Do You Feel” , so here we’ll resume the very challenging theme of communication in our modern times. I’ve told friends repeatedly that I would rather they challenge me, and risk hurting my feelings if they see a questionable attitude or behavior; rather than remaining quiet while my life starts to stray off course. As a dear friend once put it to me, deviating off course by a degree or two isn’t a big deal unless you’re a pilot flying from NY to LA; in other words the longer you stay off course the worse things are going to be, and the more likely you’ll end up in unknown and undesirable...
It seems we are creatures always searching for the newer or better way of accomplishing things. Without this drive, humankind would have missed out on a multitude of inventions and most of our lives would be vastly different, and yet…………. . We applaud ease and comfort and efficiency, while in our pursuit of these we arrive at stress, discomfort and schedules that are fraught with impossible agendas. Give us a time saving appliance and we’ll find 3 more tasks we can fill the redeemed time with. In the spiritual realm this dynamic manifests in the way we accumulate “truth”, fail to consistently apply it and push on in our alleged quest of “deeper” truth. That pseudo-journey is ultimately as futile...
Well this certainly sounds like a topic worth reading huh? In reality, it's about one of the most life transforming lessons I've learned.. This blog is not about me (despite the title), it’s about how I've learned to speak and the effectiveness of the statements I make to others.( i.e. "I" and "me" statements.) Using I and me statements is essential to communication, yet they seem to be a lost art. These statements take complete ownership of what I represent while taking the enormous sting out of any accusations when I tend to “should” all over people (i.e., “you should….” or “Shouldn’t you…?”). Here’s what I’ve learned: I and me personalize: (good thing this isn’t a blog on sentence structure...
