My world is buzzing with articles, books, and reflections about conversations + effective communication during those conversations.

What does it mean to communicate effectively?

It means COMMUNICATING. Talking from the heart + soul + incredible brain. Understanding the emotions, feelings, objectives, + potential reactions surrounding the communication, OWNING THEM, + taking a hot second to EMBRACE them.

It means having the self-confidence, courage, and patience to separate emotion from reaction + feelings from objective to let go and talk it out.

Reframing, breathing, reflecting, self-loving, speaking authentically with whole-hearted confidence.

HONESTY. Even when it isn’t easy or feels awkward or is scary as hell.

And then it means listening. Authentically listening. Open heart, open mind, open soul.

I wish I was better at communicating effectively. I rock at it in certain areas of my life + then I absolutely FAIL at it in others. Like I mentioned in the last post, failing isn’t bad. It just means I still have so much to learn + practice + do.

What about you? Are you an effective communicator? In all areas of your life? Is there something you’re not saying?

The next conversation I need to have is w Bella. I’ve been cheating on Bella w my KitchenAide (eek).

Really great books/articles about communicating effectively that I like: Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ, Click: The Magic of Instant Connections, To Be a Drop of Peace, Difference Between Feelings and Emotions. I also learn a lot in my yoga practice.