Tag Archives: #listentome

#agreesharon

Life is filled with so many interesting moments that I decided to create a weekly conversation starter around one of the more entertaining observations made during the previous week. Nothing too complicated — fun to see how people answer the question.

 Let me know what you think.

Dealing with a high-stress situation a few years back, I shared my woes with a friend who responded in generic terms about how everything would work out and “this, too shall pass”. Anxious for assistance and simultaneously scared to put “labels” on the situation at hand, the generic nature of my friend’s response infuriated me. I had no doubt in her desire to help me; it was obvious that she did not want to overstep any undefined boundaries in the friendship.

Instinct took over. I found myself getting pretty specific in defining the resources that I required. I then took it another step further and defined the people in her own network that I wanted her to call — on my behalf. A series of phone calls, emails and text messages soon followed — on my behalf. By better defining what I needed, I had empowered my friend to help me solve the problem. And, she was as excited as I was when the puzzle pieces starting coming together.

Did you have a situation this week where you clearly defined what you needed from another person?