Yesterday, a good friend shared some famous words of wisdom by Eleanor Roosevelt on her Facebook page:
Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.As familiar as I am with Eleanor Roosevelt's insightful quotations, I had not read that one.
At the end of the day, I'd like to be a "great mind." I'm grateful for the reminder on how to become one. I'm going to spend more time this year discussing ideas and less about events and people.
It's so easy for our conversations to become burdened by difficult to understand people and events, like trying to walk through snow drifts. Since we can't avoid troubling people and events, I'm going to use them to inspire new ideas and solutions and discuss those thoughts instead.
I must say that I disagree with this quote! i think events and their inspiration/causes teach us a great deal about life and people. And discussing people - well, considering their traits, strengths and shortcomings - helps us to build healthier relationships, appreciate the differences between us all, and understand despite disagreement. You must have all three, I think! I do think, though, that petty complaining is a waste and putting a positive spin on the events and people that you discuss and turning your learnings into great ideas is a noble pursuit!
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