Sunday, January 25, 2015

Me, myself and I

It all ties together.  Personal journey and professional benefits.  Or detriments.

We come to work, sip our coffee, glance at the day's schedule, take a deep breath and launch.

Who is featured?  Do I make my clients center stage or do I somehow turn every subject to me?

Enter personal life.  Widowed four years ago, I met and dated Peter for a couple years.  We are now good friends.  One Saturday he said, "Let's play a game. . .  until six o'clock, neither of us are going to say 'I'."

Ha, he fell first. (turns out he was much more the narcissist than he would ever care to admit. . .lol) It was a telling day.  A quiet day.  Confrontive of how much my conversation is centered on me.  Embarrassing.  Revelatory of how little attention I gave events outside my tiny circle.  My best friend called and frustrated by the game, finally gasped, "Kellie wants to see Heidi!"

Back to professional life.  If I silence the voice in my head that wants to tell my own stories and thoughts and truly listen to my clients and travel with them as they unveil their lives, concerns and quirks. . . I give them what few do. . . room for their voice, their heart and heartaches to be heard and cared for.

One reason they may come back and see me.