“There were many mornings where I would just cry in the shower before work. It was brutal…the position I was put into. However, looking back at it now, I would never take it away.”
“You don’t really have any other option but to be grateful, when you can see “this”, because “that” happened. I’m not saying everybody should have experienced [what I did], but that experience truly catapulted me and gave me the glasses to look through life with positivity, and for that, I am grateful.”
“I started really cultivating this understanding that instead of focusing on what I want and being goal oriented, if I recognize that I’m doing the right things, with the right people, in the right direction, everything will take care of itself. You start taking the focus off of what you don’t have and focus more on what you do have, and that’s how you grow.”
These were just some of the comments I’ve heard during some pretty powerful conversations I’ve had over the last few weeks. I was lucky enough to have these conversations with some amazing guests on “The Gratitude Spark Podcast”. This is a podcast that we just launched on February 1st. Let me tell you – I could not be more grateful for the opportunities this will provide to me to learn, first hand, the ways in which others leverage gratitude in their lives. This has been a dream of mine for quite some time and after months of trying to figure out how to start a podcast and getting over some major personal fears in doing something like this, I have to say, the conversations I’ve had so far, and start of the journey, has been pretty amazing. Shameless plug – if you’re a podcast fan, check us out and subscribe to The Gratitude Spark Podcast..you can find us wherever you get your podcasts. Ok…shameless plug complete.
Anyway…the power of a conversation. It’s a real thing…and something for which I am particularly grateful. I’m a talker. I think this is something that I inherited from my Mom. She can talk to literally anybody. It’s something that I’ve always admired about her. The conversations that we’ve had together are some of my most cherished memories and I look forward with anticipation to our very next conversation. Like her, I view conversations as an opportunity to create a meeting of the minds, to create a common understanding, to create empathy for one another and, most importantly, to create connection.
I think that’s something that we all could stand to do a little more often – seek out connections through conversation. Sometimes all it takes is a quick phone call to a friend that you haven’t spoken to for awhile. Maybe it’s a pit stop on your next neighborhood walk to chat with a neighbor with whom you haven’t had a chance to speak to recently because of your busy schedules…or the frigid February temperatures in Minnesota. Perhaps it’s a conversation you strike up with a stranger in line at the grocery story. For me recently, it’s been the podcast. The conversations I’ve had with guests have provided me the opportunity to build deep connections that will last far beyond the conversation itself.
Whatever it is, know that there is always an opportunity to create an amazing connection through a simple conversation, no matter if it is with a dear loved one or a complete stranger. And in all honesty, isn’t that one of the most beautiful things in life? Building connections? So, maybe today, maybe right now start a conversation with someone. Tell them how important they are to you and the impact they’ve had on your life. Let them know how grateful you are, for that moment, for that conversation, for that connection. I have no doubt it will be a win/win situation for both of you.
Connections Through Conversations
