We should all be grateful anytime someone gives us a safe place to spew some of our emotional bile. When the dam of what we need to say builds up behind us, having a friend generous and patient enough to help us unleash the river is a cleansing, cathartic experience.
Of course, the heart has limits. There’s only so much burden we can spread around. And if we spew too much and too often, our relationships become based on the model that we’re the victim and other people are the soothers.
And that’s simply exhausting. Nobody wants to be friends with a taker. Nobody wants to spend time with a person who makes people feel tired just looking at them.
As my favorite pastor writes, between two people is a generative space, which means whatever you put into it multiplies exponentially. And so, when you bring something negative into the space, it can affect you both.
The challenge, then, is to hone our sense of when we’re starting to drain the other person. To pay attention to their body language and vocal tone and engagement level and, in certain cases, snoring cycles.
It doesn’t require superpowers, just basic human empathy. The emotional intelligence to recognize that we’re not the only ones with readily present needs. Not that we should keep score on our relationships, both people should at least have the change to get up to bat.
LET ME ASK YA THIS…
Whom are you unconsciously wearing out?
LET ME SUGGEST THIS…
For a copy of the list called, “46 Marketing Mistakes Your Company Is Probably Making,” send an email to me, and you win the list for free!
* * * *
Scott Ginsberg
That Guy with the Nametag
Author. Speaker. Strategist. Inventor. Filmmaker. Publisher. Songwriter.
Never the same speech twice. Customized for your audience. Impossible to walk away uninspired.
Now booking for 2016-2017.
Email to inquire about fees and availability. Watch clips of The Nametag Guy in action here!
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