Finding Inspiration From Our Conversations
There’s a really popular quote by Eleanor Roosevelt I often see reposted online: “Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people."
The quote seems to say that there is a set hierarchy in what we speak about . The most evolved people sit around discussing the science behind the earth's rotation; your typical person does small-talk about things like today’s weather; the simplest people talk about themselves and others. I tend to think this is an over-simplification, and something that was said by Roosevelt in an effort to dissuade people from wasting their time gossiping and trash-talking about others.
This past weekend at a book club organized by my amazing manager Anna (who translates this newsletter, helps so many of you register for your classes, all while being the CEO of Infinity Key Language Training System ) a group of ladies and I gathered to read and discuss Brene Brown’s Dare to Lead (more about that in a future newsletter!). But, to put it briefly here, the book is about developing our potential to lead life, a career, or relationships with courage, vulnerability, and value.
As we were discussing the book, we touched on some of the big ideas about what leadership in many different areas of life looks like. What does being a good leader mean? Are great leaders made or born? This discussion inevitably was linked to the events we see happening in our world and from our own surroundings. When we went even deeper into looking at our own relationships and personal experiences, we found so many examples of times we have struggled with leading or be led in our lives . Talking about ourselves didn’t seem small-minded at all, but rather like the place to start when we want to make sense of some of the big ideas about life, testing them, or putting them into practice.
I was so happy to have the chance to spend some time with this group of women who had been strangers just hours before. Talking about and sharing our thoughts on the big ideas, events and people we are, can create chances to learn so much about other perspectives. There are endless opportunities everyday for striking up conversations that can help us make sense of the world and connect us in the ways we are all the same.
Wishing you a week filled with connection and conversations that inspire your heart and mind!
Keep moving! xx, Katie
智會交集
我常在網路上看到這一句埃莉諾·羅斯福常常被轉貼的名言：「 細小思想討論別人；普通思想討論事件；偉大思想討論見解。」這句名言似乎把我們說話的內容分等程度高低：最進化的人坐在一起討論世界上的科學問題；一般的人閒話家常談論著天氣；最普通的人談論自己與別人。我的感覺是這樣的陳述或許太過簡單，但是羅斯福希望可以藉由這樣的說法來鼓勵大家不要浪費時間在說別人的壞話或八卦上。
上周末我參加 Katie Moves Taipei 優秀的經理 Anna （她常協助你們上課簽到，也就是翻譯這封電子報的我本人）所舉辦的讀書會。在讀書會中，我和幾位女性聚集在一起，一同導讀與討論書中的議題。我們所讀的是 Brene Brown 的著作 Dare to Lead （將會於未來的電子報中有更多的分享），但是簡單來說，這本書是關於如何透過勇氣、價值與展現脆弱，來發展我們領導生活、事業與人際關係的潛能。
在討論這本書時，我們聊到領導力在生活各面向的呈現。書中提到一些大觀念像是：成為一位優秀領導者的定義是什麼？優秀領導者是天生的還是後天養成的？無可避免地，這些討論讓我們聯想到生活中或是世界上所發生的事。當我們更深入地探討自己的感情、人際關係與個人經歷時，不論是戴著領導人或是被領導人的帽子，我們發現在各自的生活中有好多掙扎的例子。討論自己的實際案例並非心胸狹隘，反之這是一個從了解、測試到落實這些大觀念的開始。
很開心有機會能參加這個讀書會，一開始不認識的彼此，經過兩小時深度的談話，大大地拉近了彼此之間的距離，也讓我們有機會了解不同處世的觀點。
每天都能藉由開啟對話帶來各種學習的機會，從不一樣的觀點讓我們瞭解其實大家都是一樣的。期許你的這一周也能充滿啟發性、心有靈犀的對話與連結。
繼續前進！
愛你的 Katie
( Anna Liang 譯)
Comments