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-Abraham Lincoln
I was just performing a hypnosis show for a group of Orthodox Jewish kids at a summer camp in Pennsylvania. They dress so differently and have such different lives from mine that it was initially a little strange. It didn’t take long, though, to discover that these were just kids like any other. They’re enthusiastic, alive, inquisitive and delightful. Once I stopped looking at differences and started looking at similarities, I felt incredibly comfortable.
I was reminded of how often we size people up and come to conclusions about who they are and what they’re all about. That single behavior, while natural, is the cause of more fear, misunderstanding…and lost opportunity than any other. Who are you prejudging? Who have you written off as a friend, a prospect, a colleague? What if you traded in your judgment for curiosity? You might be surprised by the wealth of connections that appear when you look for the common ground!
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
That’s funny! I was just thinking this week about the people that I feel connected to outside of family. What seems to connect us is what we have in common and it can be the smallest and simplest of things like a song, the ages of our kids, our passion, even just where we live. But at the same time we have so many differences. Somehow the differences seem minimal when what connects us or what is in common is sharply in focus!!
Learning the skill of NOT pre-judging people because of their looks, dress, culture, gender, color, etc is one of the hardest skills to learn, but when learned, may be the most fulfilling skill in our personal development arsenal, resulting in learning, and friends, and sales, we could never have imagined. I have lots of personal stories to back this statement up…
Best,
George
PS Lincoln hit the nail on the head, it takes effort to reach out and learn…