🧠Weekly Mind Sweep #75 | Curated Conversation | Intent
June 2023
*Week 75: Curated Conversation; Intent
Week 76: Mind Your Business; Intent
Week 77: Manage Your Mind; Intent
Week 78: What’s On My Mind; Intent
New to the Weekly MindSweep? Past issues live here.
When I sit down each week to write the Weekly Mindsweep, my Intention is to:
Connect with you on a deeper, more personal level.
Add value to your inbox by curating an interesting topic, learning more about it, and sharing it through four different lenses.
Consistently develop my writing and storytelling skills.
Describe the work I'm doing in Chickbook Creative.
Send you an email every week, hoping you might write back! (Like E-Pen Pals! If you’d like to be Pen Pals, my address is at the bottom!)
It would be interesting to hear back from all 131 of you on how you receive what I say each week.
From what I've learned about intent, the responses would all be unique, and some might align with my goal, but most likely will vary depending on your own life experiences.
When we have a conversation in person, we intentionally choose the words we use and exhibit non-verbal cues to the listener with our eye contact, tone of voice, and movements. These non-verbal cues assist in communicating our intentions.
The written word is different in that all we have is the Intention of the phrases and perceived tone of voice, and then we are at the mercy of the recipient's life experiences to fill in the rest.
I visited the APA website for a definition of Intention for this month's discussion. They specifically touched on the two points I'd love to cover for June.
Intention
noun
1. a prior conscious decision to perform a behavior. In experiments, Intention is often equated with the goals defined by the task instructions.
2. more generally, any directedness in one's thoughts or behaviors, whether or not this involves conscious decision making. —intentional adj.
Let’s sweep the brain…
We literally give those listening to us speak a "piece of our minds" whenever we open our mouths.
Since conversation can move quickly, we often struggle to listen while constructing the words we want to say back. So instead, we rely on what we've said in the past, the words said around us, and our communication style. Sometimes, we don't give what we say much thought at all.
The complexity of human interactions requires trust.
The more trust in a relationship, the better the chance your good Intention will come across—the less trustworthy, the more likely somebody will misunderstand your good intent.
But, intentionally speaking something is different from the impact it may have on the listener.
Words matter. Words are precise. But our brains are complex.
While we will dig into this more in Week 77 (Manage Your Mind), it is important to share here that your brain constructs a subjective representation of objective reality. And each of us on the planet all carry our unique representations of the world.
We might agree on the words spoken aloud, but how can we agree on the information transmitted through feelings, thoughts, Intention, motivation, and impact?
Impact and intent are both important.
Both issues deserve consideration in their own right. Saying it wasn't your intent is dismissing your words' impact on other people.
When communicating, choose in person over the written word, where intent can easily be lost.
Just because the world moves at light speed doesn't mean our conversations need to. When you are not sure what to say, ask for a pause.
Be aware of your emotional state to avoid saying something you don't intend to.
We do not have control over how anything we say is received. But we have control over what we say next, how we show empathy, and the compassion we share.
Humans are not wrong about their feelings. If they say your words hurt, listen.
Next week I will shift our topic of Intention toward our businesses.
Our intentions about what we do,
how we communicate it, and what happens if what we say and intend are not how it's received.
Feedback - Intentional, unintentional, and everything in between!
And if you need support getting intentional in your business…
The Summer Camp you’ve always dreamed of!
You bring the ideas; we’ll bring them to life!
Where to find me
EVERY MONDAY: 8 am - Curated Conversation - Zoom
THINK TWICE: Did you miss our Live? I’ve got you; the replay is available inside the Chickbook Creative Community. Are you NOT A MEMBER YET?! Join the group here.
MISS MY VOICE? Check out recent podcast episodes.
What I’m reading
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonni Garmus
All’s fair in love and chemistry. It’s 1960s California and there are certain things that women just don’t do. When scientist Elizabeth Zott finds herself the host of a television cooking show, she kicks off a revolution that does more than just challenge the status quo. You will fall in love with the cast of characters in this debut novel that has already been picked up as an Apple
What I’m listening to:
The Karen Kenney Show
Who doesn’t want to be a better communicator?
Whether it's connecting with ourselves, our loved ones, or even our co-workers, the ability to express our thoughts and emotions in a meaningful and impactful way is invaluable.
Today on the Karen Kenney Show, we’re taking a look at how to communicate from the heart and mind, fostering genuine connections that are filled with compassion, and speaking in a way where your voice has a better chance of being clearly heard and understood.
Not in the sense of manipulation… but rather by establishing authentic connections and conversations that can lead to your needs being met in a healthy, mutual and respectful manner.
This is an invitation to step into your confident, meaningful, and compassionate self-expression, so that you can say what you actually mean and be heard.
KK's Takeaways:
• Say What You Mean (20:28)
• Honesty Without Compassion Is Brutality (13:26)
• Non-Violent Communication (21:26)
• The Heartbeat Of Non-Violent Communication (26:22)
• From A Place Of Love Not Fear (34:50)
• A Miracle Is Simply A Shift In Perception (37:17)