Getting People Wrong

One thing I have learned is how easy it is to get people wrong.

We interpret a silence as indifference. A sharp response as disrespect. A decision we disagree with as evidence of motive or character.

Then we build a story around it and, very quickly, the story becomes our truth.

But we rarely know everything happening in another person’s mind or life. And they rarely know everything happening in ours.

Perhaps the useful skill is not becoming better at judging people. It is becoming less certain about our judgement.

Stay curious a little longer. Leave room for another explanation.

Because we are probably missing more than we realise.