Of all of the “things” that I have encountered in my life, and there are a few, there is one thought, one idea, one experience, one notion, one piece of knowledge that excites me more than any other. It is the single bit of knowing, that when I recall it, when I allow it to really be present and be fully alive for me in the moment, it immediately expands my outlook, my view of the future, my capacity for possibilities, exponentially larger.
It’s such a simple thing too. It crept up on me. I wasn’t looking for it, in fact I was actively resisting it when it happened. Then, all of a sudden, there it was. My future was instantly different. My outlook altered. My box expanded, or blown right off of me really.
One conversation can change everything.
Your life is going in a certain direction, a fairly predictable trajectory, and then that one conversation happens. It may be with yourself, or it may be a “conversation” that you read, but most often it’s with another human being.
My favorite, the one that really set me on fire and put me on a new and completely unknown, unexpected, unpredictable path for the rest of my life happened with one of my favorite people in the world. This person has known me since the day I was born, has always cared for me, looked after me and because of that I had an immeasurable amount of trust for them.
Within that trust of my listening, I was told a story about a conversation they’d had with another in which the story teller made themself completely vulnerable, at risk, and authentic. They were willing to put everything that they had in life up until that point on the line, including the relationship itself, in the interest of having a complete and authentic relationship.
Listening to this story, and hearing the vulnerability and the willingness to risk everything for the sake of what could be, moved me. I’d never heard a more courageous story before, and very few since. I wanted that kind of courage. I knew in that moment that living my life without that kind of courage would mean that I had barely lived at all. Hearing this story altered what I knew about life, how it could go, how it should go, how it would go. It changed me. It made possible the kind of relationships that I could have, that I do have in my life.
It was a moment of truth. Listening to that story, sitting on the edge of my seat, I could hear a pin drop. I could hear my audible gasp, being in awe of the power of the spoken word and its ability to evoke a response deep within the recipients of those received words. Its ability to move me to action, to melt the most hardened heart, to presence compassion, truth, love and being in a moment in time.
Have you ever had a conversation that changed everything? I’d love to hear about it if you did. If you haven’t, I’d love to have one with you.
With Love,
Ed