“We are more often frightened than hurt, and we suffer more from imagination than reality.”
– Seneca
“Our disappointments in life are more often born of our expectations than our circumstances.”
– attributed, among others, to Thomas Jefferson
Lenses and filters are translucent. They allow light and images through, but there is, no matter the clarity, some level of distortion remains. In other words, reality ain’t real.
Not yours. Not mine. Not anyone’s.
Whatever we see, whatever our clients see, whatever our prospects co-workers and bosses see — it’s affected by filters. By lenses.
It begs the question, “How much time do we want to spend selling someone else on our version of reality, as opposed to trying to see the matter through their lenses and / or filters?”
The former involves tons of effort and angst and carries very low odds of success. The latter is pretty simple, straightforward and simply requires us to ask questions and listen to (and look for) the answers. When our imagination and our expectations take over our filters and lenses fear and disappointment are the most likely outcomes. When we live in the circumstance — in the moment — we have time and energy to go deeper, to commit, to engage and to develop bonds of understanding.
That may not lead to a sale or a save. It will, however, lead to making a difference.
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