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200 words, common ground, courage, Diana Schwenk, Diana's Enormous Book of Quotes, differences, integrity, life, listen, love, open-minded, peace, perspective, point of view, respect, tolerance, understanding
Meet regularly with someone who holds vastly different views from you ~ unattributed
OK.
SO THIS ISN’T THE NORM for me, because let’s face it – life is much easier when people agree with me.
And depending on whom I’m speaking with and what the topic is, often I will keep my mouth shut, for fear of hurting the other person’s feelings.
But even I have to admit that there’s value in varying views.
So it’s something that I engage in when the opportunity presents itself.
It’s also something I seek, when I’m stuck in a rut.
And I always learn something from it!
I try to keep the following principles in mind when talking with others who have varying views:
- Listen to the other person
- Try to see their point of view
- Give thoughtful answers to their questions
- Respectfully share my perspective
- Avoid personal attacks
- Discuss new possibilities with an open mind
- If we can’t achieve #6, agree to disagree
~ DIANA’S ENORMOUS BOOK OF QUOTES ~
Reaching common ground takes longer, but often it’s worth it. Can you think of a time when doing so produced better results?
And I’ll try to see them from yours
