Dialogue vs. Monologue

I've had lots of opportunities for some really serious dialogue today. It seems I went from one really cool and meaningful conversation to another and learned something from each encounter.

How often can we say that from the monologues we sometimes find ourselves "engaged" in with that voice in our heads?

I'm reminded of Daniel Quinn's "Thoughts on Dialogue" in which he says that "People who are always learning are always ready to engage in dialogue. People who feel they already know everything or who are afraid to learn cannot engage in dialogue."

What does that voice in your head say? "I already know it all"? or "I really don't know anything"? Either way, that little voice probably isn't entirely correct. When you find yourself in the midst of a monologue, either inside your head, or, heaven forbid, with someone else in front of you, stop and remember the acronym WAIT: Why Am I Talking?

You just might learn something.

Click here to read Daniel Quinn's entire essay "Thoughts on Dialogue."

If It Is To Be It Is Up To Me

I've heard that those are the 10 most powerful two-letter words in the English language. And it seems, at least in my experience, to really be true.

As I prepare tonight for a seminar I'm conducting tomorrow on personal accountability, I recognize that as I take those 10 words to heart, I become more authentic in my presentations and my words seem to connect with others in much more powerful ways all the time.

When I'm authentic in my words and actions, it's amazing how things come together in my life. As my favorite philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson said,

"When you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen."

So often it seems people succumb to either the judge voice or the victim voice in their heads instead of being authentic and trusting their own knowing. Maybe listening and trusting our own knowing seems difficult because it's unfamiliar, but in the long run it's a much more fulfilling and rewarding life!