From My Inbox: Gratitude Ping Pong

I'm listening to an interview (ok, half listening and half not clearly, as I'm bashing out this post), and the "thank you, no thank you, oh, no thank you" gratitude fawning at the start is the WTF inspiration for my musing this week.

I say WTF because as some point in the "thank you, no thank you, oh, no thank you" conversational ping-pong, the actual "thank you" becomes...authentically, genuinely, absolutely meaningless. It is an automatic disconnected blurt reflex, no different than "Hey, how's it going?" "Good, how's about you" "Good, and you" (yes, have ever noticed that some people completely f'g forget that they already ASKED how things are, then ask again, after you give a standard template small talk response???).

Yes, be courteous. Yes, acknowledge inspiration and influence Yes, express gratitude and give thanks. But don't an obsequious robot.

AND when someone expresses thanks for something you do...OWN IT. Own it when what you do inspires someone else. Don't diminish or whittle it down. Just f'g own it.

Back to the interview I'm listening to, instead of:

Interviewer: Welcome and thank you for all the work your do.
Interviewee: No, thank you, it's my pleasure and really, thank you for all the work you do...
Interviewer: Oh, no, thank you...

try something along the lines of:

Interviewer: Welcome and thank you for all the work you do.
Interviewee: I'm delighted my work has resulted in this opportunity...I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the topics I care about...
Interviewer: [get to first f'g question here]

With that, some making meaningful connections 💩 from my inbox:

The experience of “being on the same wavelength” as another person is real, and it is visible in the activity of the brain.

💡Brain Waves Synchronize when People Interact (Scientific American)

💡A little neuroticism is not a bad thing...Is neuroticism affecting your relationship? Don’t stress (The Guardian)

💡 Note to self: choose c0-rumination partners, carefully, very f'g carefully...Rehashing your problems with friends can turn into a bad habit (Psyche)

💡To Lead a Meaningful Life, Become Your Own Hero (Scientific American) + note that having allies aka support aka community aka a network, is an essential element in the heroic story framework.

💡 Feminist and Funny: The work of Barbara Shermund (Liza Donnelly)