Making a hard thing easier

You did something wrong. You hurt someone’s feelings. Or hurt them, intentionally or not. Or maybe you didn’t do a thing, but they feel hurt. Whatever the initial reason, you’re in the unenviable position of being confronted for doing something that wasn’t good.

In that moment you have a choice.

You can double down and deny, or you can make it easier for the person to tell you the hard thing.

It’s a choice, and sometimes the ramifications of that choice could cause great pain to you, or might have little impact.

In those moments you can yourself open and available, and show that person that you’re someone willing to listen to hard conversations. Or you can let them know that you can’t handle the truth and are unwilling to listen to feedback. In the case of the former you might strengthen a relationship, in the case of the latter you’ve made it clear that you’re unwilling to grow and learn.

Each day I’m striving a little more to be the former.