Stop Thinking Everyone is Like You.

"Remember You Are Unique, Just Like Everyone Else."

The quote is kind of tounge in cheek but there is certainly some truth to it. Each one of us has an individual story. This story is created from our background, our childhood, our influences, our interactions in the world, our experiences, our wins and of course, our losses. All of these elements and more shape who we are and how we see the world and our place in it.

We all interact with each other based on our own personal stories. Maybe one individual was made to feel stupid by someone when he was little and now he goes into interactions assuming people are not interested in what he has to say. Maybe another person had a chaotic early life and now has a hard time trusting others. Perhaps one person loves the challenge and excitement of new duties on the job, while another individual gets anxious when things change and prefers to deepen their expertise in one main area. Maybe one person is enlivened by intense debate about something while another person feels threatened, stressed and clams up.

The point is, we are all so very different and our individual stories color the way we see everything. Our own personal experience is inside our selves and while that experience can be rich, it is largely hidden from others. This is one of our greatest shortcomings as individuals, because our inner experience is private and hidden, we often forget others have one too. We tend to treat most situations like everyone is just like us. So my advice - STOP THINKING OTHERS ARE JUST LIKE YOU!

In order to create understanding and connection between individuals, we need to step outside ourselves and try to understand the experiences and perspective of others. Your story is not their story and their story is not yours. Instead of connecting with people by always trying to find out how they are like you, you can look a little deeper and try to discover how they are different. As humans, we are in so many ways the same but our differences add color, flavor and texture to our lives. Not only can we come to a place where we respect our differences, we can actually appreciate the things that make each one of us unique.