To Inspire:

Lisa’s sister is in for the weekend, arrived last night. The three of us stayed up till midnight – catching up on our families and simply enjoying being together. We laughed, loved, and shared deeply and as we all headed to bed we agreed that our conversation had been a real treat – and a very special time.

When was the last time any of you had that kind of lingering conversation with a loved one – with no agenda, no activity going on…simply talking and sharing life. If you’re like me, those kind of conversations are rare and yet they are so special. As I reflect on why they are so rare, I would suggest two reasons.

First, most of us have allowed lots of activities and pursuits to fill our time to the point where we simply don’t have blocks of time available for that kind of relaxed open ended conversation. Each of these other commitments may be good in and of themselves – but in totality, they have filled our lives with many lesser things rather than the greatest thing – being with those we love and care about and engaging deeply with them. This busyness is seen not only in our personal lives but in our business lives. I had a conversation yesterday with a client and dear friend who gently challenged me that I and others on our team had become too busy to maintain and deepen our relationships with our clients. It was a wake up call and I’m so grateful he shared that with me.

And second, our ability to text and email people gives all of us the illusion that we are connected to others and “staying in touch.” But are we really? When we use sound bites in our text messaging to check in on someone – is that a real connection, an authentic conversation? Of course not – it’s a pinged communication that touches only the surface of our lives, not the depth of our hearts.

What if all of us were to intentionally schedule 1-2 blocks of times in our schedule each week to sit down with someone for whom we care deeply and have a real conversation. A conversation with no agenda except to listen, share and love. My gut tells me that even just one such conversation a week would be incredibly fulfilling and would lead to greater peace and joy in our lives.

Perhaps have one of those conversations this weekend – if you do, reach out and let me know what you experienced; I’d love to hear from you.

Meaningful conversation – one of the keys to a great life.

Written by Matt Palmer, Partner & Co-Founder