humble

Enrollment vs. Attention

Our typical meeting model or conversation model is all surrounding attention.

Now that everyone is in the same room, let me talk at you. Now that you’re done talking, let me tel you a story.

I’ve been forced to refine how I connect with people with increased digital connection. We cannot guarantee we have anyone attention (well we never have been able to but even more evident now).

This requires attaining enrollment.

The other person or people choosing to listen and engage. This type of engagement gains much more success and effectiveness than simply having someone’s attention.

Now that I have you together, I’m going to compel you to hear me out. Now that you’re done sharing, I will ask a question to dive deeper. Now that we are connected, I’m going to add something that you add valuable.

The focus of the interaction is less about us getting our way and more about us creating a space for the other to engage in a way that honors them. It’s service oriented. It’s other focused. It’s empathetic.

Take the chance in front of you to not just someone’s attention but enroll them.

Seek enrollment and gain awareness when you’re only seeking attention.

Humility

Phil: I’ve had the thought lately, “I wish there were more people like me.”

Kelly: You have a lot of great thoughts and that is not one of them

What a kind and delicate way for my wonderful wife to put it!

This thought is incredibly dangerous! It is the opposite of humility, contradictory to progress, and yet I’m sure all of us have thought it often. 

We must aknowledge this thought immediately and let it ride away if we hope for any holistic success. 

Don’t Take Yourself So Seriously

I know this. But I do not practice it often enough.

Most difficulties in my life are either made from or escalated because I’m taking myself too seriously.

Taking myself less seriously makes me, easier to be around, more open minded, more humble, less self critical.

Maybe efficiency or productivity can be found in taking oneself with high seriousness. I do not think it’s usually worth it though. There is a cost and I am going to start choosing the cost of loss efficiency rather than cost of losing pure enjoyment.