Communication Struggles (#056)

Sean and James talk about communication and the importance of staying in touch with family, friends, and people who matter to you. But how do you determine who they are? If you struggle with being intentional about who you want to stay in touch with, tune in and enjoy the episode. Key Takeaways: Communication is key in any relationship. Even within family, there are misunderstandings. Just because you grew up with someone, even if you're blood-related, doesn't mean you have a given relationship to hold onto. You still have to work on it. Episode Quotes: What is communication debt? Sean: This is a theme that I am very passionate about. We kind of just assume our parents and family know what we're up to, or know what we're thinking. Or they assume that we know what they're thinking and what they're up to, what they're going through. And the reality is we don't. And so, it's even more important to communicate more with family so that know exactly what you're thinking and what you're going through. Because when you don't, then just like any friendship, it creates distance, it creates an information gap where there's an immense amount of room for misunderstanding. "Investing" in relationships James: I think at some point, you no longer have to deposit into that fund, especially if you feel that there's gonna be no return. The reason why I say this is because there are definitely people that I no longer try to keep in touch with anymore because after some time you just realize that they don't want to be part of the relationship. It's a choice that you make at some point where you'll invest elsewhere. Your time is limited. Managing your expectations when trying to build relationships/communicate with new or old people in your life James: For anyone that is in a place where they're struggling with some relationship or trying to either revamp one or bring one to light or to make a new one or to reach out to a friend that you haven't reached out to in a while, I think, one, you just have to expect that you can get nothing in return because that is the worst outcome. And then the best outcome would be that they reply and they give back. But you can't expect that. And who is receiving your effort just changes over time.