When we’re not ready to hear the message

I had a frustrating meeting last week. I couldn’t get my colleague to see the bigger picture vision of a problem. The harder I tried to make my point, the further away I felt we were getting. We had no alignment or resolution.

In retrospect, I was trying to push my worldview on my colleague. That never works. In some ways, it is related to the unconscious competence concept I wrote about last week. I was struggling to “invite” my colleague along a path of learning by shoving him down it. I certainly couldn’t paint the picture in a way that was inviting to him.

It made me think of the times I was given amazing advice that I couldn’t hear. It was only after I had gone on my own journey that I was in a place to understand the advice. We have to be at the right spot in our journey to receive the message.

Dear future/present John

What is the universe offering you that you aren’t ready to hear? What was the path your colleague was trying to invite you down that you weren’t seeing? What kind of work do you need to do for your own journey?

Thanks to Patrick Fore for the beautiful shot of the road in the woods.