How To Have Interesting Conversations With Strangers
Article Round-Up: 3.10.24
Enjoy this weeks curated list of articles, podcasts, and more from the web to help you live a healthier, happier life.
Featured Thoughts: The Jet Ski Theory of Transitioning to New Opportunities
Takeaway: Put in the work to setup the new opportunity. But when the control is no longer in your hands, your best strategy is to forget about it and trust that you’ve done all you can.
P.S. Join our free live virtual workouts every Saturday at 9am EST. Register here.
Published This Week:
Radical Introspection: The Hidden Skill of Lasting Change
Takeaway: This article looks at the key ingredient for success in weight loss and lifestyle changes: radical introspection. We address the struggle we all face in being truly honest with ourselves amidst a world full of distractions and excuses.
However, in bravely confronting your inner truths, you can take back control of your life, find areas to grow, and embark on a journey of meaningful transformation.
43 Patients Reveal Their Therapist’s Best Advice
Takeaway: Topics range between self-awareness, coping skill, interpersonal relationships, and mindfulness. Lots of powerful advice and insights here. Worth a skim.
My favorite: “The reactions of others are not about you.”
A Guide To Actually Having Interesting Conversations With Strangers
Takeaway: Small talk gets a bad rap, but it’s often because people mistake the purpose.
Small talk is the lead-in to deeper connectivity. It’s the trial period where two strangers feel each other out and decide if it’s a comfortable place to share more of ourselves.
Small talk is not meant to begin and end with the superficial topics we all have come to dread.
If meaningful conversations are the concert we’re excited to attend, small talk is the necessary drive to the venue.
It doesn’t sound fun to drive to the venue only to turn around and drive home. The fun happens when you walk through the doors into the concert.
Small talk is the necessary vehicle to get to the fun. You might as well stop fighting it and enjoy your ride to the concert.
Just For Fun:
Takeaway: I could’ve used this a few weeks ago when I attended New York’s Museum of Modern Art.