Lost in translation.

I went into this past week with the quiet intention of mentioning Honest Hours in the conversations where it made sense. I believe deeply in the women's cohort I created and want to share it with the right people who would benefit from being a part of it. So I tried it, I felt for the right openings, watched how it landed, noticed when someone leaned in and when my timing was slightly off. I realized fairly quickly that there is no perfect time. We are all receiving through our own filters. It is impossible for us not to be. No matter how sincerely we show up, whether we are talking to someone we have known for decades or meeting them for the first time at a networking event, we are all filtering what the other shares through our own narratives, a.k.a. our biases. Two people can have an entire conversation, be in complete agreement, and walk away having not at all landed in the same place. Not because anyone failed to communicate something as they wanted, but because we don't get to decide how our message is received. In my coaching practice, we begin each session by setting an agreement. From there, my goal is supporting my clients' clarity on the matter. In this space, I am on high alert of any potential translating through my own narrative. There is no place for my biases in those conversations, because the clarity we are seeking is not for me. My client translating their own words into the language they need to move forward is the entire point. Out in the wild, we do not get that agreement. We do not get to live within that controlled space or the shared goal. We just get two people, two narratives, and not always truly knowing how our words were received. So now, I am not chasing perfect understanding out there, because I know better. I am simply staying aware. Aware that the person across from me is translating what they receive through the filter available to them in that moment. I will keep talking about Honest Hours when the moments feel right, knowing it will not land for everyone. The woman it is meant for will hear it with the clarity she needs, exactly when she is ready. When is a time you felt you had complete clarity in a conversation, only to later learn you were not on the same page?