Communication is like a car.
When we talk effectively, we do so with our emotions not in the driver’s seat, but in the passenger seat. What we think should flow with passion, and defended with vigor, this speeds us up. There is nothing wrong with driving fast.
It is a lot better than the layers we put on our communication to fit in. Layers are stop signs. For me, that leads to depression and negative self talk. The “well I should have said” conversation happens in my head and I can’t help but feel bad as I slow down.
Honesty is given lip service and shamed when the spotlight is on. This is trained behavior. The “don’t rock the boat, don’t make any waves, don’t upset anyone” is the way you stay where you are. Its cutting off your right turn signal – and because of that, no matter where you go, you can only make a circle.
Growth is painful, and because of that, people shy away from it. It is easy to get off the bus when the a/c doesn’t work and your house is right there.
It is because of that pain, you have to keep your emotions in the passenger seat. You will feel a lot of pain from other people, and in time, you will even feel self pain. It is very difficult to hide that from your emotional center and easy to succumb to dishing it right back.
If you drive with emotion in the front seat, you may go fast for a while, but that pain will catch up with you and force you to take a right into a wall. If you don’t drive with emotion at all, you miss the insight and the passion to go at any real speed. In the passenger seat, you can consult with it, but ultimately you get to make the choice.
From the desk of Adam Thomas 