Little Talks

"The great secret of succeeding in conversation is to admire little, to hear much; always to distrust our own reason, and sometimes that of our friends; never to pretend to wit, but to make that of others appear as much as possibly we can; to hearken to what is said and to answer to the purpose."

   –Benjamin Franklin

Good conversation—which truly is an art—sharpens the mind and sustains the heart. A skill that I pride myself on is being able to talk to people. I feel that where I am lacking in physical strength, I make up for in my words. Over the years, I have honed this ability to converse into a favorite activity of mine. Since I was a small child I have felt comfortable speaking to almost anyone, age is no factor.

Many times in my life I have been more at ease speaking to individuals years older than me rather than my own peers. Despite my "Gift for gab", I am not immune to awkward silences and saying the wrong thing, I am only human. There have been a few occasions where I have actually been perceived as quiet or even shy. I have realized that  when I am trying to be someone I am not my conversation tends to suffer and "Trying to be cool" is a complete waste of time. 

Do you really want friends that you have to drastically change your personality for? When we attempt to control others perceptions of us, we are only limiting ourselves to want we think they want to hear. Being yourself goes along way.

Many of the people that read this blog have experienced a classic Mike Mort random conversation. Most of the time I find myself discussing television and movies but I can hold my own with politics, philosophy, science, art and music. To me there is something magical about that moment you discover common ground with another person. I may sound a little sentimental but I truly enjoy finding these connections. 

I also find it important to be able to be around people with different, conflicting views to your own. If someone is being genuinely hurtful you do not need to subject yourself to the negativity but try a keep a cool head. There is a lot of strength in expressing your opinion in a calm and intelligent manner. You might learn a ton by simply asking why someone feels the way they do. 

Some many of the problems in this country and around the globe could be solved through conversation and in turn understanding. Life continues to be interesting as long as you are learning new things. Expand your horizons vicariously through others words as often as you can.

I may not have a sweet beard but I can be interesting.

The most honest and helpful piece of advice for engaging excellent conversations is to just listen. 

A wise man and extremely faithful blog reader once said to me:

"We have two ears and one mouth and In conversation we should listen twice as much as we speak."

A great conversion is much more than humans simply communicating, it is people sharing the essence of who they are. 

I am so thankful for all of amazing talks I have had recently and in years past—they give my life meaning. What makes these discussions undoubtedly special is the people that I have them with, they are what I am most grateful for.