In my last post, I talked about how asking people about their passion can create powerful connections and wake up our own passions.

But HOW do we get people to talk about their passions?

(1)  TALK

The first step to getting people to share their passions is to BE VULNERABLE ABOUT OUR OWN!!

Most of the time we’re so protective of the little child inside of us that we can’t get close to anyone, let alone share our passion. We don’t want our passions to be belittled or mocked, so we don’t share them with anyone. We cover up what we really care about with small talk and cliches.

But this smothers our passions instead of letting them grow. It creates a culture of fear and falsehood instead of REAL EXCITEMENT and REAL RELATIONSHIP.

A friend once told me that if I wanted people to emotionally “bleed” in front of me, then I needed to “hemorrhage” first! In other words, BE THE FIRST to share a fear, a hurt, or a passion!

Think about that successful businessman who told me about his passion for butterflies. He had no idea how I would respond, but he took the chance—and so did I, by asking him.

(2) LISTEN

Once someone starts sharing their passion, WE NEED TO LISTEN!!

Even if we know as much about the topic as they do, even if we don’t care much about the topic, listening to someone share their passion will strengthen that passion and encourage them.

I remember being at a social event, listening to a first-year attorney out of University of Texas talk about how cool it was to be an attorney, what cases he was working on, and how he defeated the district attorney on a few occasions.

One of the men listening was a Harvard graduate and a senior partner in one of the most prestigious law firms in the city. This partner listened with humility and genuine interest, encouraging this young man. Not once did he interject who he was or what he did!

That is the humility I’m talking about––putting yourself aside and actually FEEDING INTO SOMEONE ELSE’S PASSION. I learned a ton from that man just by watching an listening to him.

Learn humility!

Listen!

Don’t always have the answer! (Tough for people who think they are the smartest head in the room with the most knowledge and life experience. They forget they were once there.)

Be curious about what other people care about…..

I often come back to these two simple, but powerful tools. When we grow in SHARING OUR TRUE PASSIONS and TRULY LISTENING TO OTHERS… that’s when our relationships start to get exciting and real!!!

Merry Christmas!!!