To Get Along Better with People, Focus on What You Have in Common
A few months ago I listened to a TED talk that inspired me.
The subject was optimism or something like that; I don’t really remember. I do remember the principle I learned.
The speaker had everyone in the room look around and notice all the things that were red. After a short amount of time, they then asked: “how many things did you see that were blue?”
We don’t usually see the good in the world because we aren’t looking for it.
The same principle is valid for how we see each other.
From 2008 to 2010 I lived in Great Britain as a missionary. I spent nearly every waking moment with a co-worker, or companion, as we called them.
I learned many of my most valuable life lessons from being a missionary. The most profound things I learned about relationships came from having a full-time companion with me all day every day.
When you’re with someone that much, you tend to learn a lot about them each individually. But even more about how to have healthy relationships.
I never had a lousy companion. But some I got along with really well, others took a little more work on my part. I was always the one that made getting…
