I am in Atlanta for the second time in the last three weeks. I am here for the second of two conferences, my absolute favorite conference, Blogalicious. I had the best time ever at Blogalicious but that’s not what I want to tell you about today. (If you want to read about all the reasons I love Blogalicious check out these posts.) What I wanted to tell you about was something I heard at the conference that resonated with me. A comment was made that went something like you can’t have A+ conversation with C+ people.
This resonated with me not because I think people should be grouped and rated as A, B, or C people. It resonated with me because it is about conversations, what we are sharing, and who we are sharing it with. The reality is we all have different passions and interests. We love talking about these passions and interests. But our friends and family might not share our passions and interest. While we have an A+ when it comes to knowledge and interest in the things we love our friends and family might only have a C+.
For example I love blogging and what I do here on Chasing Joy. Yet time and time again I have seen friends and family get that glazed over look when I start talking about blogging, blog conferences, social media, twitter parties, etc… They don’t get it. They kinda know what a blog is and some even have a Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter account. However, while I am an A+ student when it comes to the blogosphere, they are C students and therein lies our disconnect.
But you know what, It is okay! It is okay because there are things that our friends and family will be A+ students in that we won’t understand, things that we won’t get. We will be the C+ students when it comes to their passions and interests. So don’t feel bad when your friends and family don’t get it. When they don’t understand why you are so passionate about something or why you are investing your time and money in something. Don’t feel bad. Just understand that you cannot have an A+ conversation with a C+ person. What we have to do is go and find other A+ people to share those passions with.
Take the time to build the community, support systems, and relationships you need to pursue your passions and develop your gifts. Find some other A+ people to have those conversations with. So what about the C+ people??? Remember that they are only C+ when it comes to certain things. They are likely A++ when it comes to loving you and wanting you to be happy and fulfilled. So let them off the hook. Let them know you are still pursing your passions and interest but spare theme the details that lead to that glazed over look.
In summary the girl scouts have it right. Make new friends but keep the old. Make some A+ friends who can relate to your passions. But keep your old friends who love and care about you, even if they don’t get i,t and can only give you a C+ level conversation when it comes to your passion.
Have you experienced that glazed over look when you have tried to talk to people about your passion and they just don’t get it? Are you taking the time and energy to find like minded people to have those A+ conversations with?
