This is Not a Test

The other day I received a very short message through my contact form.  Just checking if the conversation is real, it said.

Why waste a message with such a question? Doubt is a missed opportunity. You end up creating the reality you seek.

Connection is a choice you make every moment. Better stay home in that case.

You can tell when people who are not interested in initiating something significant.

They usually hide behind excuses. Or ask pointed questions instead of looking to develop a relationship. Prove yourself, they say.

Why should you? Why should anyone need to take note? People do or not do.

This got me thinking about all the time wasters, the fillers, the half hearted promises -- "if I had known", "wish we could do", "how great [insert item] would be", and so on. Ideas don't happen while waiting for better ones -- you do them, you start, get on your way, begin, and adjust as you go.

Not all activities are created equal.

So here's some advice if you care to influence what happens vs. what people may or may not say in reaction to a provocation. Start thinking and seeing things from the point of view of the person/people you want to reach.

What does their world look like? How do they operate? How do they think? What situations do they need to feel welcome and want to connect?

It applies to communities as it applies to cities and even nations. The Web creates lots and lots of choices for people to tell better stories about themselves and hide behind what is convenient.

This is not a test.

 

If you enjoyed this post from Conversation Agent, subscribe, share and like it.

Comments

[Gabriele Maidecchi]

Probably we are all hiding behind too many conventions. Instead of countering someone's opinion we keep our cool and say "it would be nice". We lost the guts to have genuine reactions too scared to disappoint people.
We think more about the form and not enough about substance, perhaps?

[Brian Driggs]

Well said, Valeria. :)

[Oneill_colin]

Great post! I agree that action and agility are the keys to achievement but for companies I think its critical to take a little time every now and then to ensure those actions are aligned to your core vision. We've seen many cautionary tales in social media recently (Kenneth Cole, Groupon, Chrysler, GoDaddy) that tell us that before acting its worth taking a minute for a quick gut check. At times, the fury of the discourse and the need to feed it seems to lead us astray from our core vision. For individuals this can be pretty easily done, but for companies its going to take some work to ensure everything is aligned.

[Valeria Maltoni]

isn't it incredible that we start life with our hands raised to the sky not knowing limits, and we end up managing to the less risky options? Perhaps there is also the worry about what others may think thrown in there...

[Valeria Maltoni]

grazie!

[Valeria Maltoni]

I'm a strong believer in the power of planning, including when you want to be spontaneous, and knowing yourself, including your stress spots. The problem is that many organizations -- and people -- prefer the tactical approach and get pulled into conversations emotionally.