Think about how often you’ve had this convo w someone you haven’t seen in a while (even those you’re close with):
“Hey, great to see you…how’ve you been?”
“Good, can’t complain…and you?”
“Pretty much the same…nothing too exciting happening.”
And then the conversation stops there. It’s our standard response. It’s our “go-to.” And, it’s our proverbial wall. But what if we showed the slightest bit of vulnerability? Ok, not everyone is open to sharing their whole “story” publicly, for the whole world to know. Nor do we want to have a deep conversation w everyone we encounter. However, there’s something to be said for removing just that single brick & letting some, behind your wall. You don’t know who might have the key to some perspective that can help you see things in a whole new light, & change your outlook for the better.
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Back when I worked for the Phoenix Suns, our CMO made the decision to add the hometowns of our ushers on their name tags, in-arena. Naive at the time, I questioned in my mind what type of impact this change could possibly have. But when you think about how our ushers were our front line of communication w our fans, the move was brilliant. That one addition of hometowns opened up all types of interaction that never would have happened if they’d not been added. It began with things like: “Oh you’re from Omaha? My cousin is from there.” And that one connection point opened up a whole world behind the respective walls btwn our fans & our staff, where real relationships started to develop.
Think of that the next time someone asks how you’re doing. Instead of the standard: “Good, and you?” maybe you share one piece of vulnerability: “good, but…xyz has been challenging recently.”
We each hold so much we are experiencing (the good & the bad) behind those walls. You don’t have to reveal it all, but one brick, slowly, & you never know how the other person might open up too, & a whole lot of mutual help & healing may result.
#SameHere🤙 #walls #openup #vulnerability #letpeoplein #connections #mentalhealthawareness #mentalhealthadvocacy #happyeaster #happypassover
