Can you grasp the concept?
Think about it…
If we chewed our food but did not swallow it, what would that mean to those of us dieting?
How about in social situations where you are given food you don’t like but you need to be seen to eat it? There are many dishes, drinks and foods in different cultures that might make you sick but you need to be seen to try them. I have been to many places where strange foods were put in front of me and I needed to eat them so I didn’t insult my hosts. Have you ever had that experience? I got very good with napkin coughing sometimes but my hosts appreciated that I tried.
Ideas, thoughts and information are much like food. You need to listen and consider them, but you don’t need to accept (swallow) them. And you don’t need to refute what you don’t agree with, or that doesn’t agree with you.
In many social situations you come across conversations like:
“I strongly believe that such and such is the best…”
“Yes, but this and this is so much better.”
“Yes, but…..”
The “Yes” seems to indicate agreement; however, the statements following the ‘but’ show otherwise. Did the responder actually grasp what the other said? Perhaps, yet they immediately jump in with their own thoughts or opinions. It leads to a conflict. Think of how you feel when this happens.
Next time you find yourself starting with “Yes, but…” what would likely happen if you showed that you understood what the other person actually said, reflecting back to them what you think they said? You don’t have to accept their opinion. How do you think they would respond?
Try it, some time. You’ll be surprised at how often you can cut through the B.S. that comes from the “Yes, but…” and get some real fun funds and fitness into the most mundane situations.
