Friday, October 06, 2006

upgrading your conversation

i have found my new bumper sticker -- upgrade your conversation. absolutely love it and must share it with all since how many times do conversations happen without purpose or love or anything really worth talking about. these past two days have been very different but amazing. the conversations have been so rich. it all started on wednesday during strategic planning. i know that's hard to imagine but really, i am on one of thee most dynamic teams in all of cable world and i found myself completely immersed in the good energy. then, yesterday was a complete adventure of which i am so thankful. i learned that i am someone who takes the bad and makes it fun...keeps glowing (and growing) no matter the obstacle. also, i am okay with disagreeing with people more and more because most of the time, that's what makes the conversation worthwhile. i think the hardship comes into a situation when people are NOT listening and they only hear their own thoughts and bits and pieces of yours which leads to misunderstanding, which leads to frustration, which leads to a confrontation, which leads to more NOT listening, which leads to total explosion and many bad things (especially if you're dealing with someone who doesn't deal with themeselves). been there, done that. so, i am happy to report that conversations that have taken place in the last 48 hours have been solid. like today, i began with a great connection with mr. wonderful about his current office environment. of course, he sees right through a lot of the muckity-muck and focuses on what he does best -- do a fantastic job and not get caught up in the never-ending drama. then, the presidents of the local pr community came together to discuss how to bring everyone together. love those kind of talks. they each are so impressive and strong. i have grown to love and respect my pres. and could only hope to carry the leadership level she has displayed throughout the whole year. after that, i engaged in many conversations at the office. lunch with one of the marketing directors who just happens to be someone i connect with because our paths seems so similar by way of geography and finding the current situation. plus, we share a love for thai food. always a thumbs up in dragonfly's world! during the day, i continued to engage in conversation with my superiors who just happen to be so incredibly in tune with what's happening and how they are a part of moving things forward. after work, and this is where it only continues to get better, i had a great conversation with kathy about life, love and possibilities. she is the inventor of "upgrading your conversation." while we were talking, i made the following notes for myself and since it was an ABC conversation -- A = Kathy and B = DragonFLY and you the reader, are C = not there, you might not be interested in the rest of this...it's for me and my accountability: What's wrong with being selfish? (one of the topics was about taking time for you vs. time for everyone else. trying to fit it in AFTER everyone else is taken care of.) Why can't the weather just be unpredictable? ( i really like this one since just looking at something as what it is instead of putting expectations all over it. Guilty as charged!) How can this represent a life? (we talked about trish's funeral and the photos displayed...they were beautiful photos of her but they're only pictures, not a life, she was so much bigger than a photograph. ) What will represent my life? (inspired by the previous question obviously.) What is the context of the conversation? (really being present to what someone is saying not the words coming out of their mouth.) Where does being upset and disappointed show up for me? (inspired by the previous question) And finally, always a good questions to ask -- In what ways, am I purposely being responsible and not being responsible? Delving futher, how is that effecting my choices in how and who I choose to be?

Upgrade your conversation, you will only become better at you.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Lorelie, I love you. It's nice to know that our conversations mean as much to you as they do to me. Thank you for keeping possibilities alive.