I loved participating in theater in high school. I was fairly good at it too.
In my personal and professional life, I do well with people. I seem to “get” them. I find it easy to get past what they are saying and down to what they are thinking.
In my adult life, I have gotten very good at understanding situations. It may be why I love politics, the news and reality shows. I am able to cut through the smoke and mirrors and get a little deeper past the surface – usually.
While I am not close minded, I do have strong beliefs. I enjoy hearing new points of view. However, if it is a debate you want, if I think I am right, and there is coffee involved – let the fun begin. I can get heated, convincing and convinced.
But coffee is the important part. Face to face, that is. It is difficult trying to get into those kinds of conversations any other way. There has to be a level of trust involved. There has to be some human interaction – a chance to correct misunderstandings. The ability to understand each other that is hard to do in any other way than in person.
Understanding Both is Important
Being an observant individual lends itself to understanding people on a level they may not be ready to be understood at. Being an opinionated person has to be bridled in order to be respectful to feelings.
Being an opinionated individual can cloud observations. If I am not careful to remember that we are all fallible, I can miss the truth due to my own preconceptions created by what I think I saw.
