A lot of people carry the pressure of wanting to be liked by everyone. Which is understandable, why wouldn’t you want the approval and admiration from others. But to what end are people willing to achieve that kind of status. Socialising and interacting with other people is the foundation of human life. When I was much younger, I struggled with it because of a lack of confidence in myself. It took me a long time to figure out that how we socialise and interact is and can be quite different. You just have to spend a little time with yourself to figure out what kind of person you are and how you can bring value to the friendships / relationships you have. Throughout my life I’ve had various role models and people I look up to. But there’s a couple of qualities that are consistent in the people I’m drawn to. Louise, you have both. You are *humble* and you’ve (become) a great *listener* 🙂 Something that I have really noticed over more recent years is, in order for a healthy conversation to happen I think there’s got to be a combination of quite a few things to make it work. Myself and Louise are both guilty of reflecting the energy that we give each other. Maybe you can relate to this? So if me and Louise, or me and anyone get into conversation everything from body language, facial expressions, level of distraction, are you hearing me or just listening, or are you simply looking through me and waiting for your turn to speak, it all impacts the dynamic. If you can create space for each other and hold it, i.e don’t talk over the top of each other, don’t be too reactful by the words that are coming your way, hear the full context, and to quote a great dating movie ‘Hitch’, “listen, respond, listen, respond”, the conversation can only go well. It’s good advice from Will Smith there. As I’ve gotten older I’ve become more aware of these parameters that I think exist within good conversation. I might not have 28 mates, but I’ve got a tight group and I’ve got time to listen to them all. We’ve got two ears and one mouth for a reason… Ryan @Ryan Libbey @Louise is getting better #HeSaidSheSaid - @hesaidshesaidofficial