Difficult Conversations

I've never really been into reality TV, but lately, I've surprised myself. One thing that fascinates me with shows like the Bachelor is that the contestants can finesse their way through difficult conversations that I would otherwise bomb or never realize needed to be brought up. Doing so requires a lot of self-awareness of yourself and curiosity for the other person.

Being self-aware allows you to identify what's causing you to feel the tension and why it may be important for you to bring it up in the first place. It might also turn out that the tension that you're feeling is one-sided and something that would be better dealt with by yourself.

When it comes to successfully resolving the tension in the relationship, both sides need to feel heard. In my own difficult conversations, I've noticed that regardless of who is right or wrong, the tension never really goes away by simply clarifying the facts and assigning blame. You cannot solve these types of problems with logic. Instead, you solve them with compassion. No matter how smart you are, you can never tell what the other person is thinking and their intentions unless you listen to them with genuine curiosity.