People Are Amazing.

“People Are Amazing. Talk to Anyone. It’s interesting. People are interesting. If you just slow down and really listen.” I heard this recently and it was one of those moments that stopped me in my tracks. Not that I wasn’t aware of this, but sometimes things hit when they are supposed to, and to me best when unexpected.

A while back i was out and about, and someone asked where I was, and my daughter said “Outside talking to some rando like they’ve been friends for twenty years.” And truth be told I was. I don’t know what it is, but I genuinely love meeting people. Some say I have a knack, and talking to people is easy for me, but i believe it is a learned skill. And to me, a skill everyone should learn to improve upon. Where I may differ, is that i genuinely enjoy peoples stories, and fortunate to have a breadth of experience that enables me 99.9% of the time find a common connection. Allows me to go a layer deeper fairly quickly, and love that everyone has a story.

I know a lot of people truly struggle making connections with others. I also know most haven’t practiced. They haven’t figured out an opener, and they don’t know how to keep it going. I see this not only in daily life, but of course in business, and it amazes me this isn’t a skill taught in universities or in management Trainings. Sounds silly I’m sure, but just saying “hello” in a time in this world when it may be unexpected is all that is needed. And when you’re worried about keeping it going remember, “just slow down and really listen.” that’s all people want, and who knows… maybe you’ll be surprised.