On navigating difficult conversations or,
not wasting energy on attempting to change the mind of people who aren’t ready for it or open to it.
Today, is a short one. I just wanted to flag that up to prove I’m capable of a writing brief post (which, ironically, is getting longer by the second).
Ready?
I never answer a question I wasn’t asked.
I can’t tell you (well, I’m telling you now) how much simpler this has made my life, especially when it comes to navigating online spaces.
In practice, it looks something like this:
If you weren’t specifically asked the question, don’t answer it.
And if you/we do offer advice, ‘constructive criticism’, or ‘give feedback’ when it wasn’t requested, then to ask ourselves, how do we benefit by doing so? Like really benefit. Is it really about the other person? Or is there something that we gain ourselves, a need that’s lurking underneath the surface.
Something to consider anyway, and I can tell you from experience, it’s definitely worth trying on for size.
Onwards,
❤️ Jane
PS. There is no always or never- sometimes it’s right to interject without request. But for the most part I’ve found the above to serves me very well!
