This is an archived blog from when I ran Conscious Public Relations Inc. from 2008-2018. Excuse the potential outdated-ness!
Considering others’ perspectives
This topic feels too big to be blogged on, but I think it’s universal enough so that anyone reading this can see where I’m coming from.
I was at the Board of Change summer social last night wearing one of the first dresses in the new business my sister and I created. I met someone new and we talked about how it can take years to finally make those sales that make a difference and really get a business going. It’s taken me almost seven years to get to the point where Conscious PR Inc. is busy enough that we needed more people than just me to run it.
That got me thinking about how much I rely on others opinions or actions to move forward. How we all rely on each other. If I had not put my own ego aside and chosen to seek out a mentor in 2010, I might still be stuck running my business part-time. If I had not listened to the feedback that my friends and family gave about the new dresses we’ve made, we would not know how to improve our next run. If I hadn’t met the woman at last night’s social and realized that we’re all in this game of social business together, I might still feel like a lone woman trying to change the world.
Just believing in ourselves isn’t enough. We all need each other, and yet we try alone, we make decisions alone, and we believe so hard-headedly in ourselves and our ideas and are so sure they are right for us and the world. And we may be right at times, but that does not mean that we can survive on our own.
Most of the poignant and challenging moments in my business over the last year occurred when I either dismissed someone’s request or took what someone said personally, feeding my guilt monster. It’s those moments when I was simply in my own world and did not consider someone else’s thoughts or opinions before responding consciously. It doesn’t mean that we have to believe or take action on others’ thoughts, but it is always good to listen and to process. Real consciousness between people is a real challenge, one I think we can always improve on.
They should have conversational and connecting classes in grade school, so that kids can learn not to fear each other and really connect. Or maybe they’re out there, and we adults can learn along with them.
Have you had an experience when you gave up the chance to hear or serve another to serve yourself?
– Sandra
