Quality conversation
Some of you may be surprised to learn that I REALLY dont enjoy small talk and find it VERY tedious…. almost embarrassingly so. Which is kind of hilarious given my chosen profession. I thrive in and crave deep, quality conversation that makes me think. The involved parties bounce off each other and although everyone doesn’t have to agree, all people go away having learnt something, grow from the chat and become better in the process.
One of those conversations happened this morning with my reasonably new mate Aidan. He is a regular at the shop now and I really like his vibe and positivity. We chatted about diet, health, my new found interest in stoicism, the medical system and all sorts of other cool stuff. Regardless of the conversation topic, if there is a common interest and shared enthusiasm I always leave the engagement better for it. Today was no exception.
I am super fortunate in my job to have many of these interactions regularly. I get to meet many cool people who have done all sorts of cool and interesting things and been to all corners of the globe. I don’t take these for granted and really feel that my life is enriched because of them. I desire them and often look for a break in the metaphorical small talk traffic to merge onto the in-depth conversation highway. Guilty as charged.
As an aside, something I have found super interesting over the years is that running is actually a wonderful vehicle for promoting this kind of quality conversation (why all the motoring references today?!). I don’t know if it is the side by side union, reduced, if any eye contact or the wearing down of the body therefore making us more vulnerable that encourages the topics to flow but I love it. It is an added bonus of running long with good people. We laugh, have cried on more than one occasion and share life’s joys and struggles whilst in physical motion. It is a super side effect of an already rewarding activity.
So, I encourage you, seek out something other than small talk this week. Look for opportunity to talk deeply with someone. Be honest, open and you never know where it may lead you. Happy Sunday friends. Consistency + Commitment.