This week I have been experiencing laryngitis. 

How interesting.

It has beautifully reminded me of what happens when choose to stay succinct–or maybe even quiet–especially when you are presented with complaining, confusion or someone’s desire to be right.

What happens when you listen only responding succinctly and you do not engage in complaining, confusion or righteousness? 

Well, it stops. 

And, it seems to stop a lot faster than when you agree, disagree, or engage with it in any way.

Ask yourself: do I want to continue this conversation or to I want to bring it to it’s natural end. This is a choice.

If someone is complaining about how awful the funding situation is or how hard grant season is on us or how much they hate having to write or how being a graduate student is so hard and unfair, how post docs are so sorely paid or have poor benefits and on and on. 

Are we engaging in the conversation to create change? Or are we engaging in conversation to “feel good” that someone else is feeling the same as us about it. Commiserating. How people strangely light up in commiseration is so fascinating, isn’t it? It’s a feeling of not being alone in the misery.

So, here’s an experiment.

Next time you notice this happening choose to participate differently. Keep your responses as short as possible, one or two words, or even choose to stay quiet. It could be “hmm” or “yes” or “no” or nothing at all.

How does this affect your time and energy?

What a gift laryngitis has brought me and through me to you.

What will this knowledge bring you, what have you received here and how will you experiment with it and maybe even practise it if it supports you? 

If you or someone you know is looking to feel more connected with positivity and progress in their academic lives, pls support them by connecting with me by email (support@melissaeanders.com) to see if it makes sense for us to take a next step together through a complimentary Discovery call. 

Warmly,

Melissa 

Resources – A New Earth by Echart Tolle teaches how our egos are complaining, confused, righteous, and the many ways it may show up insidiously in our lives and teaches us how to limit engaging with it. Thank you Mr. Tolle.