Understanding

We all want to be “understood”. I love Thich Nhat Hanh's quote that "Understanding is love's other name".  There is no love without understanding. Understanding ourselves and others is our greatest work.

I was born with a shitload of energy and for that I am grateful. I have the attention span of a mosquito and get bored incredibly easily. My school reports all said that I talked too much, was very distracting and needed to focus on my work rather than what others in the class were doing!

Not a lot has changed. I talk in my sleep, am constantly distracted and still incredibly nosy!

Spinning perceived negatives into positives is one of my favourite pastimes. When we take something we know about ourselves and try to understand it, we offer ourselves love and a generosity that we may have never received before. 

Short attention span?
This is never a problem when you do something you love. I am constantly intrigued by the people, places and things that do NOT bore me. Who are you with when you don’t check your phone? What are you doing when you are so engrossed that you forget to eat?

My head has no less than eight browsers open at any one time! While many speak of short attention spans being a bad thing, I love this about myself! It helps me to constantly create new and exciting programs and plans for me, my clients and those close to me. It also means that I do not dwell on things - I move on! I move fast! The more I have gotten to know myself, the better strategies have developed for getting things done. I work well in cafes. I get lots done on planes. The morning is my most productive time for thinking. Understanding myself and how to get the best out of me has been a lifelong study and one I am learning from every day!

High standards?
I have crazy high standards for how I want to live, and am a self-managed control freak. Being a control freak is never easy. There is a constant urge to get involved in things that really are nothing to do with you! Having high standards creates two problems for me. The first is I am often exhausted - working and living to a high bar will deplete you so you have to choose where you will use your ‘fucks’. What do you care about? What can you let slide? Make a list and an announcement. Tell the world what is important to you and what is not. 

The second problem is disappointment. Constantly being disappointed because, in the world according to me, not many people try hard enough! There is never enough service, initiative or effort for me. I love enthusiastic energised people who are proactive and engaged in what they do. I spend lots of time inspiring and teaching people to be less shit - to lift their bars a little higher! 

Super nosy!
I am very nosy! I love to know details about everything - What was said? Where did they go? What did they eat? Collecting info on people and places is something I love. I often wondered what was behind my nosiness. Why did I need to know everything? It’s my obsession with human behaviour. Understanding others is one of my favourite pastimes. 

I think to be understood by another is the greatest gift you can give someone. Noticing, nourishing and knowing people are all worthwhile projects. I am astounded how many leaders know nothing about the people in their teams, how many parents know nothing about their children and how little people care about those around them.

When we do not take the time to get to know ourselves or others, we miss out on so much. We make others wrong because they are not built with the same operating system as us. We make ourselves wrong because we are not like other people! 

There is nothing wrong with you and nothing wrong with me. 

All we need is a large portion of understanding served daily!