We have a natural propensity to spend a lot of time in our lives sharing what happened.
As a result, we’re stuck with status update meetings, chronological/career focused introductions and dinner table conversations about events around us.
What happened, it turns out, isn’t a good question. There are numerous other questions that are more powerful. For example –
- What did you learn from what happened?
- How has what happened change your perspective?
- What are you going to do about it?
If a poker game was decided simply by the cards that were dealt, it would be a really boring game indeed.
So, the next time you’re tempted to talk about or agonize about what happened, consider re-framing the question. In conversations, meetings, careers, and life, what happened matters far less than what you decide to do about it.
A Learning a Day 