The DAILY SPARK Blog

LABELS

Labels are for filing.  Labels are for clothing.  Labels are not for people. 

Quote by Martina Navratilova

REFLECTION:

  • We do sort and label things… it helps us keep organized and make sense of things.  It also helps us understand things and include/exclude things that don’t fit.
  • Labels can be positive or negative… at their best, they help understand and identify common characteristics and at their worst, can lead to stereotypes and racist “othering.”
  • Examine your labels… are they bringing people together or conveniently excluding others that don’t fit the label.

RAISE WORDS…

Raise your words, not your voice.  It is rain that grows flowers, not thunder.

Quote by Rumi

REFLECTION:

  • When you yell, your words become just a loud noise.  It is ineffective – failing to show respect and understanding.
  • When engaged in a charged topic, raise your words… effective communication shows respect and understanding for each other.
  • What questions (curiosity) can you explore to elevate the conversation to one of respect and understanding without raising your voice.

BE CURIOUS

“Guys have underestimated me my entire life and for years I never understood why – it used to really bother me.  Then one day, I was driving my little boy to school, and I saw a quote by Walt Whitman, it was painted on the wall there and it said, ‘Be curious, not judgmental.’ I like that.  So, I get back in my car and I’m driving to work and all of a sudden, it hits me – all them fellas that used to belittle me, not a single one of them was curious.  You know, they thought they have everything all figured out, so they judged everything and they judged everyone.  And I realized that their underestimating me – who I was had nothing to do with it.  Because if they were curious, they would’ve asked questions…”

Quote from the TV Series Ted Lasso

REFLECTION:

  • Are you curious?
  • Do you pass judgment when being curious might serve you better?
  • Ask some questions today… be curious.