What do you most want to talk about?

Have you ever been in a conversation with someone - someone you wanted to talk to -  but been circling or stuck on a different topic?

It’s not just that you had something to say to them. It’s that you had something to say in general. It was something you wanted to discuss, to go back and forth, to examine, to bat around…but you couldn’t get there.

What held you back?

For me, this experience feels like that annoying, arcade claw game. In my mind, I see us all standing around looking at the same pile of prizes. I’m moving the handle but can’t grasp the one I want.

And this responsibility is on me, not you or him or her or whoever is with me on the elevator ride up. It’s my own reluctance to bring up what is really on my mind.

And what’s on my mind is rarely critical or conflict-inducing. It’s just on a different plane. It’s a worry or an interaction that left me confused. It’s a wish or a want that I don’t feel entitled to. It’s an observation yearning for another perspective.

What typically goes unexpressed for me is connected to a fear that it’d come out weird or seem out-of-place.

Can you relate?

Having this experience repeatedly can leave us feeling disconnected.

Sigh.

We can move forward in two ways, I think. The first requires that we create the appropriate setting with the right people with minimal distractions. It also requires us to acknowledge that it can feel uncomfortable at first. It’s another muscle we can build— our “putting ourselves out there” muscle.

Today’s journal prompt is about identifying those things unsaid. What do you really want to talk about?

I’d love to hear them if you’re up for sharing. Just drop me an email.

And if you’re interested in joining us for the Happier Holidays group coaching session, there are still spots open in Friday’s session. You can register here.