Strong convictions, loosely held.

Strong convictions, loosely held. I remember hearing someone say that and I loved that idea.

A friend and I had a discussion last week about something that I feel pretty strong about. After a quick discussion, I finally accepted the fact that we weren’t going to agree. Then, this week, a friend and I came across a problem and we both proposed different solutions. Over time, we presented our opinions, how we felt and why and eventually, we agreed on a totally different solution. It wasn’t my solution and it wasn’t his, it was somewhere in the middle. I was proud of how both of us worked together and found a solution together. It was actually a better solution than either of us had suggested.

Listening and working together is what this week’s message of the week is all about. This week’s message is…

There’s nothing wrong with feeling strongly about something. There are topics and we possess viewpoints on them that I’m sure we’re unwilling to budge on. Other topics, we’re probably more flexible on and that’s fine too. There is nothing wrong with changing your mind on something.

Perhaps new information is presented to you, you’re a bit older and have more experience or for whatever other reason, you see things a different way and so you change your mind. That seems like growth and progress to me.

This week, inevitably, you’ll see something differently than another person. When that happens, take some time to listen to their opinion and consider why they feel that way. Like Stephen Covey says, FIRST SEEK TO UNDERSTAND AND THEN TO BE UNDERSTOOD.

I think if we all take some time to listen to each other and be open to changing some of our beliefs, we’ll all get along a lot better and things will go a lot smoother.

To your success and see you soon,

Michael