For me, finding out what’s wrong with someone is easy. Finding out what’s right with them is a much harder row for me to hoe.

Assessing the problem comes like breathing to me. Offering the solution often has me wasting my breath.

It’s not that my remedy won’t work. It’s extremely prescriptive. The problem is the person is not in the frame of mind to receive it, mainly because, in some way, I’ve communicated they’re inferior for having the problem.

I remember having difficulty warming up to the NLP concept of “the meaning of the communication is the response that you get.” I was caught up in the mindset of “the meaning is the meaning,” meaning I was hemmed in by the facts.

People were not responding to my facts and I wasn’t noticing.

I’m sure there are others like me. Perhaps we can form a group called “Flaw Finders.” We can sit around and tell each other what’s wrong with the world, but the world will keep spinning away from our assessments.

Here’s a life lesson that I’m in the process of learning: “Tough Love” is a tool in the toolbox; not a way of life.

Quickly reading a situation is a powerful skill to own, but it will own you if you don’t make allowances for the foibles of humanity. We all have them but some of us have difficulty owning our own. When you come from a position of “on high,” you’ll have a low rate of getting through.

All the best,

John