Dear cute mans at the coffee shop,
Sorry that we took you away from your serious Saturday Excel work, I know that #consultinglife can really be a grind. I hope you enjoyed chatting about taxes (thank you parents for doing them one last time!!), health insurance, and buying property. The most riveting of topics for a Saturday afternoon. I would apologize for chia seeds in my teeth from my smoothie & coffee breath, but I don’t actually care because I probably never see you again (though I wouldn’t complain if I did). You will likely never know who I am or find this blog, but thank you for embracing our oddities and chatting with us for an hour. The prize is a feature in this post! You’re welcome.
Sincerely,
Nameless Atlanta/Vandy girl
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In all seriousness, our encounter with cute coffee shop guy is truly a lesson for us all. When was the last time you struck up a conversation with a stranger? Do you ask the checkout person at the grocery store how their day is going? Do you talk to the person sitting next to you on the plane? Or do you put your headphones in, probably without any music playing, and pretend to be alone?
Now, don’t get me wrong, there is absolutely nothing wrong with telling your Uber driver that you have to hop on a call when you don’t want to talk. I understand - I am an introvert. A tried and true introvert. More to come on that later, but I absolutely love spending time alone. However, there is something to be said for striking up conversations with someone you might not ever see again. There is so much to be gained from listening to what others have to say. We all bring our experiences with us, our suitcase of memories, insecurities, passions, and fears and so often leave that suitcase zipped up. But what we crave most is connection -- a bond over a shared love (or hate). How can we connect when we don’t look someone in the eye, asking them how their day is going, and truly listen? It is powerful to be heard but even more powerful to listen.
There is virtually nothing to lose from genuinely pursuing human interaction. It may be uncomfortable, and trust me, I’ve had my fair share of botched intros. But what you learn is that in most circumstances people crave authentic connection and likely don’t even realize it. If you are willing to put yourself out there, someone will catch you. And that person might even be a cute consultant sitting next to you becoming the next subject of the blog. So my piece of advice is to take a deep breath, move past the awkwardness, and ask the person next to you on the plane, the woman taking your order at Starbucks, or the guy next to you at OrangeTheory how they are. And actually hear the answer. You might be surprised with how much you learn both about them and yourself.
We understand that small talk may be the bane of your existence, but we challenge you to ask one person you don’t know how they are doing and really listen to the answer. You might be surprised what you learn or a connection your create!