May 21, 2023

What am I missing?

i-never-thought-of-it-that-way-cover
Reading Time: < 1 minute

I’m constantly on the lookout for what I might be missing. I shared some of these fears a few years ago and how it related to game shows, but I think it’s largely part of being an Enneagram 5 — I feel the need to know all of the answers to all of things, and I certainly don’t.

In reading Mónica Guzmán’s book “I Never Thought of It That Way“, she addresses this concern a few times. In the context of her book, it’s about asking questions of people with different viewpoints than you so you can really understand why they feel the way they do.

Mónica says:

If there’s one question I want to persuade you to ask more often, it’s “What am I missing?”

If you think you know, you won’t think to ask.

It’s from that same book that she shares the Waters of the United States and how that’s a big piece that she didn’t understand about Trump voters. When she was speaking to the people of King County about why they voted for Trump, it wasn’t focused on women’s rights or taxes or common points like those, but about a fairly obscure legal issue that could potentially destroy many businesses in that county.

Your thoughts may already be completely accurate, but that’s a bad thing to trust in because when you’re “sure” that you know the answer, you’ll never take the time to really find out if you’re right or not.

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