10 Ways to Get Back to the MIDDLE.

There is this Great Divide in society, and this is what I'm learning.

No matter what your personal beliefs are, the way to get back to the middle is through:

1. Stay curious. Do your best to ask questions instead of rattling off personal stories or statistical facts. Be more of a sponge than a wet mop. Lol
2. Become an ACTIVE LISTENER. This means keeping an OPEN mind and heart to maintain space for new information to be received. It also means don't have your answer ready, locked, and loaded while they are talking. If you have your rebuttal before they finish their sentence, it means you're not listening. Also, being an active listener doesn't mean you have to agree, but you acknowledge that maybe there is more to their perspective.
3. Acknowledge what you hear from their perspective. This might mean repeating what they said and then asking, "Did I hear that correctly?" And then give them room to clarify and adjust. Letting them know you hear them is one of the best ways to defuse a confrontation.
4. Be willing to take responsibility for your reactions and actions. No one can "make" you feel a certain way.
5. Stay calm and pause. If you feel the tension is building, don't wait for them to be the one to back down or "get it." Instead, take a deep breath before responding to help your emotions and ego take a back seat. If you let your emotions and ego run the disagreement, then you are in for a major fight. And that's no Bueno.
6. Maintain a state of GRACE. Know that no matter what you believe, they are ALSO coming to the table with the "best" and "right" thing to do.
7. Understand you will never be able to impart your experience to them fully. They did not live what you lived. And your experience is your experience. There's no way for them to comprehend your life.
8. NEVER EVER use name-calling. Getting to that low vibrational level will lead to more pain and suffering. It's not worth it. Besides, it's childish and born from the ego... I have been guilty of this one, for sure.
9. Speak your truth no matter what. 
10. LEAD with LOVE. Re-Member, they are you, and you are them. They are your reflection. And what you do to them, you're really doing to yourself. So show up with respect and honor, EVEN when you disagree. If you maintain that level of care, it will take you far and wide.

The truth is we need more understanding and curiosity in this world.

So let it begin with the US.

With lots of LOVE,
Teresa

#plantingseeds #dreamsdocometrue #yourgreatnessiscalling #moveonpurpose