On a colorful fall afternoon, fifty financial advisors from around the country arrived at an inn in Middle Tennessee. Their purpose was to engage in conversations about life, meaning, mission and how money intertwines. It is a group of accomplished professionals, and I was honored to be invited to attend.
At breakfast the next morning I was greeted by Ed, a long time member.
“Good morning, what a beautiful blue shawl”.
“Thank you. And your blue shirt matches your blue eyes”.
He smiled, “I picked this shirt because the color is energizing to me. I’ve been working on a project and frankly arrived here exhausted. I hope the shirt will help!”
When we turned to join the group at a nearby table, I noticed almost everyone was wearing a shade of blue. I laughed and said, “Looks like everyone got the blue shirt memo”.
The young man in a faded brown shirt sitting at the end of the table said, “ I guess everybody is sad today”.
“Sad”?
“Yes”, he replied, “they are all in blue”.
Hmmm. Whether or not he was serious, he had called attention to how we “make meaning” from what we observe. He saw blue and thought sad. Ed wears blue to feel energized. I see blue and think blue sky and possibility, plus I know it’s a very becoming color!
We all assign meaning to what we see based on our experiences, which shape our beliefs and biases that inform how we act.
Do you imagine arrogance or insecurity when you see someone standing apart from the group? Or claiming the spotlight? What’s behind that behavior?
Does a frown mean deep thought or disagreement?
It’s hard to know.
The invitation for this week is to be aware of what you “make up” about others. Then imagine another plausible explanation for that same behavior. Let me know what you discover.
Until next Tuesday.
Elizabeth