As I talked with a founder, the facial expression said more than intended.
“You have no idea what I am going through.”
“Your life is much easier than mine.”
“Do you have any idea what it takes to get a start-up idea off the ground?”
Initially I focused my attention on the problem at hand. A series of questions was unfolding which repeated my experience last fall. I assumed my response would triumph over the doubt in the eyes. As I paused to see how a remark had landed, the facial expression said it all.
“You do not understand.”
With a deep cleansing breath, I suggest a bit of indulgence. With a nod of assent, I summarized my proposition, the successes and bizarre dead end leads I had wrestled with, and where the opportunity was in the moment. I left my emotions outside. It was blunt, direct, and brutally factual. Big steps forward, several back, and three twists I did not see coming. By the time I brought my day into focus, the irrelevant expression had changed. In its place was one of open dialogue. As we picked up our earlier conversation, everything had shifted. I was left with reminders for myself that are all too easy to forget.
Everyone has a story. If we doubt another, a helpful way to understand the conversation is to pause and hear their story. Nuances and details reveal the hearts and intents of those in the story. With this, words take on a meaning which is often far more accurate.
Everyone is called to action. My calling maybe different than yours. We share the reality that we have unique experiences. It is in our experience that we find gems and pearls which we can gift to another. When I see the psalmist deliver a call to “all you priests on duty in God’s temple, serving in the sacred halls of our God,” (Psalm 135.2) I am reminded nobody is exempt. Knowing this, was I listening when a story followed?
Stories are wisdom put to words with characters in them.
