Do you need to step outside your comfort zone and have a big conversation or ask a big question? Are you living small as you continue to put off having a crucial conversation?
“I’m afraid to talk with my boss about where I’m headed with the company. I don’t think I’m going to like what I hear.”
“I need to let Mark know I’m not interested in the business partnership he keeps bringing up and is so excited about…but I don’t want to disappoint him.”
“I’m not sure my significant other and I are on the same page about our future. But I’m afraid to have the “big talk”, because I don’t think I can handle what I would hear.”
“I’m so upset with Melanie for violating my confidence, but can’t seem to muster the courage to confront her. I just hate conflict.”
While these scenarios may not be yours, do you sense a similar unspoken conversation lurking in the background of your life?
Are you in denial about a conversation that’s long overdue? Or perhaps you wouldn’t characterize it as denial, but readily admit you’re in the grip of anxiety and unease about something left unsaid.
You might think you’re preserving something by not having that conversation. Preserving relationships, the hope of something, the way you wish things were, the status quo…
But is that really true?
- What’s the real worth of relationships maintained only when you keep silent and avoid the truth?
- What’s the real cost of keeping silent and denying your authentic Self in the process?
There’s another consequence to putting off a much-needed conversation: Energy loss. You’re expending energy as you deny and dodge, sidestep and ignore. Even as you avoid, you’re expending energy.
What conversation are you avoiding—and what’s all the wriggling out of and running away from costing you?
