8 Blogs In 8 Weeks #2

 A Public Service Announcement:

If you don’t own a recent Apple Watch or similar Smart Watch, stop what you are doing right now and go buy one.  Don’t even think about it, just do it.  Tuesday night, I was watching TV and in a flash had trouble breathing and felt ill….checking my heart monitor on my watch I found my heart rate out of sight.  I then used the Ekg function for 30 seconds and it informed me that I was in Atrial Fibrillation and should seek help immediately.  We all have the tendency to ignore our body’s symptoms but this confirmed that this wasn’t just some ordinary event…and the doctors in the emergency room confirmed so.  I am okay now after 4 rollercoaster days in the hospital, and some really good doctors,  but can’t help but wonder what would have happened if I had waited.  These things are not gimmicks.  In fact, after falling on my bike a few weeks ago, the watch detected it and started the 60 second countdown to calling 911 until I turned it off at 30 seconds mark. This stuff works!

Now, back to the originally scheduled Blog!

Have you noticed that hardly anybody talks to each other anymore?  We text, we tweet, we facebook, we email, we Instagram, wechat, and we do all other sorts of tech programs to communicate.  But it seems to me that we are avoiding talking to each other.   Yep, I LIKE to talk.  There is something about having a good conversation, verbally sharing thoughts, ideas, news, laughter and even tears that is so much more satisfying than writing a 15 word text or email.  Besides, a quick phone call is much more efficient than typing out an email, sending it, waiting for the other person to read it and waiting for them to get around to answering your simple question that could have been taken care of in far less time.  

Verbal communication requires that you not only talk, but that you actively listen to what the other person is saying.  Too many time we all spend far too much time thinking about what we are going to say next rather than listening and responding to what the other person is sharing.  And that’s what talking is….sharing in the other person’s life.

Here is the way it use to happen:  Phone call:  “Hey Joe, want to meet outside in 15 minutes and play catch?”  Joe answers: “Sure, see you at the field.”  End of call.

Today’s way its done:  Take out Iphone:  Type text..”Wanna play catch?” If Joe has looked at his phone at that moment:  types back..”sure, when and where?” Back and forth until time and place are determined.  And that is only if Joe happened to look at his phone…he might not notice that message for some time and miss out on a good game of catch.

I know that sounds absurd, but the same thing happens in both adult social and business communication and besides being inefficient, it exposes all of us to some just how little attention a lot us pay to the crazy variations and weirdness of the English language!  One of my pet peeves is the misuse of certain words, phrases and spellings of certain words.  When speaking, you can’t tell the difference in some of those words (even with my southern accent). 

Test yourself and see if you know the difference in the meaning of these words.  One thing is certain.  They sound alike but mean something totally different.  If you speak these words, you never make a mistake…if you only write them, I can guarantee your 5th grade English teacher would be horrified by what you have written!

There, their, they’re…..To, too, two….you’re, your, yore….right,write…wear,where….waist,waste….tail,tale….steel,steal…stationary, stationery…role,roll….real,reel….rain,reign,rein…peak, peek, pique…hole,whole…it’s, its….site, sight, cite…insight,incite….creak, creek…bolder, boulder…baring, bearing….bear, bare…canon,cannon….sole, soul…eight, ate…by, buy, bye…cell, sell…due, do, dew…I, eye…four, for, fore…here, hear….hour, our…no, know….night, knight…mail, male….marry, merry….meat, meet…pair, pear….mail, male…son, sun…one, won…wait, weight…. AND there are many, many more!

Hope you have fun with these words.  Yore? your? you’re? welcome…….For goodness sakes people, it is YOU’RE WELCOME not your welcome!!

Let’s Talk….Give me a call sometime!

And The Journey continues……