It’s a Small World After All

I was introduced to a stranger today. She said 3 people had mentioned me in the last week as someone she should meet as she is starting a business. Her first start-up. In the first 5 minutes we found we had friends in common and she knew someone who lived in the same road. Just by asking questions. My friend Jonathan Wilson always told me questions were important.

The technology of asking questions is complex. And I’m not sure how it works. But this is my 1st theory….chip in please.

1st Theory: Be interested or stop. Pay attention or stop.

That’s it really.

The rest comes as a result. The questions flow. The connections flow. The human animal likes to connect, likes to stay informed, likes to belong. Above all, the human animal is naturally curious. So it’s easy, if you let yourself.

So why isn’t everyone fully curious, good at questions? Why doesn’t everyone know everyone?

So here’s my 2nd theory. Chip in please.

2nd Theory: Create headspace. Stop something & do fewer things. 

Too many things to do means too little time to be curious. And you know full well which things will and won’t get done. You know full well which you’re good at and want to do. If you only had time to listen to your own thoughts.

Give yourself time to know what you think about stuff.

So that’s that.

But how come many people at work say they don’t get time to think? Why don’t most people spend time thinking, listening to themselves and others?

You’ve guessed. A 3rd theory comes to mind…. chip in please.

3rd Theory: Be passionate. Or stop. Be infectious. Or stop.

Your own thoughts will only be interesting enough to stop and listen to in a busy week if you’re passionate about what you do. Be that work or play. Are you bored inside your head?

If you really are passionate, you’ll know it, they’ll know it, we’ll all know it.  They’ll catch it whether they like it or not. Humans can’t help loving a bit of passion.

Those without passion suck the light from out of the room. They are the corporate amoebae you sit in meetings with everyday. Be interested in who they are and what they’ve got to say. Get to know them a little. Think about what they say. Find out if they are passionate about something different to you or if they are just an amoeba.

I enjoyed taking 15 minutes out to analyse why the world is such a small place, if only we look. Please comment or share “Peter’s 3 theories of a small world” if you’re interested. Have a good weekend.