Communication Break-Down - Break-through Communication, Connection, Collaboration

Are you tired of
communication
being so hard?

And when it comes to communication break-down…

Do you find it hard to say what you *actually* think and feel?
Do you hold back sharing because you’re afraid of how it be perceived?
Do you have difficulty setting boundaries [and sticking to them]?
Do you regularly avoid communicating with people because you’re afraid it’ll turn into conflict?
Do you find yourself getting stuck in your head, endlessly over-thinking?

And at the core of it…

Do you wish that you felt more confident in your ability to communicate, to effectively collaborate, and to have deeper, more meaningful connection with the people in your life?

—

Do you wish that you felt more confident in your ability to communicate and to effectively collaborate with those around you?

Are you seeking deeper, more meaningful connection with the people in your life?

Why can I talk to pretty much anyone about anything…
except for the person I’m supposed to be the closest to?

It was a romantic relationship that rocked my world.

At the time, I thought I was with an incredible partner. Sure, we had challenges. Nothing that couldn’t be overcome, though.

A few years into that relationship was when these questions started circling my mind.

Then one day I was confronted with this hard question:

Why can I talk to pretty much anyone about anything… except for the person I’m supposed to be the closest to?

And on further reflection… the reality was that this wasn’t only true with that significant other.

It was also true of my parents, my sister, my former business partner, our colleagues / employees, and even some close friends.

I was afraid to say what I was actually thinking and feeling, I was afraid to ask the questions that really mattered.

I was a massive over-thinker, I held so much back… which meant that I was not as effective, and I was also not as connected, as I wanted to be.

And here’s the really embarrassing part…

For the longest time I didn’t see myself as part of the problem [or the solution].

Something had to change.

But did I need to change?

As I reckoned with the realization that I was not the kind of communicator I wanted to be…

And as I thought more about it, I realized… that this wasn’t only true with that significant other.

It was also true of my parents, my sister, my former business partner, our colleagues / employees, and even some close friends…

Ultimately my biggest challenge was that I was afraid of letting people down.

And to me, that meant I was afraid to say what I was actually thinking and feeling, I was afraid to ask the questions that really mattered.

I held so much back, I was a massive over-thinker… which meant that I was not as effective, and I was also not as connected, as I wanted to be.

And the day that I started to be more open and honest… was the day that my life [and my relationships] changed.

With my situation, I knew the house had a leak, but I didn’t think it was mine to fix.

I assumed that was someone else’s job. Once the other person (aka my significant other) changed, things would be a lot better.

And then, one day, my significant other and I… were no longer together.

A few weeks later I hit an emotional rock bottom.

She and I had been in a long distance relationship for 2 years. I had moved back to America for this relationship 18 months ago after almost a decade living and working abroad. Three and a half years… and we couldn’t figure this out together.

And as I thought back over the course of our relationship, I left my pity party and started to wonder…

If nothing about our situation was to change, except for me, what would I say? What would I do? What would that be like?

I had no idea that what was about to unfold over the next month would make such a significant change to my life.

Another MasterCom participant, Jen, when reflecting on her experience with the program shared a lot that resonated with my experience too (well, except for the being a new Mom part)…

"MasterCom gave me more clarity into the problems I was facing as a new mom, in a career transition, moving countries, and in a relationship that stifled me.

"Initially, I wanted to improve my communication with my partner but I came away with much more.

"MasterCom provided me with an opportunity to build my confidence. The process allowed me to go deeper into areas that I was avoiding and to reconnect with a part of myself by exploring thoughts and feelings that were not criticized, negated or judged in any way.

"I was able to see the importance of asking the right questions and how they can dramatically impact the depth of a conversation. I learned how questions can be cultivated into different parts of our lives to enhance our relationships, deepen our learning, and guide us to be more honest with ourselves and others."

—Jen, Honest, Playful Mom

I had very few friends living close to me at that time and I spent hours upon hours upon hours:

wandering through videos and articles…

attending events and workshops and group activities…

writing down my thoughts and feelings…

And, for me, it was an intensive month of writing (letters, actually) which brought me to a new level of self-awareness, a new sense of understanding of my former significant other, and of myself.

But it was also so much more than I expected.

I came to understand the challenges I faced in past romantic relationships and in my business partnership. I considered new ways of approaching overall relationships, as well as very specific situations within those relationships.

I developed a greater understanding and appreciation for the things that were important to me.

I was cultivating a practice of being more open and honest with myself.

And then one day I realized…

that my biggest challenge was being afraid to let down the people that I was the closest to.

This wasn’t only true of my significant other. It was also true of my parents and my sister, my business partner, my colleagues (especially people that worked for me)… even close friends.

I was learning one of the lessons that Xueying took away from her MasterCom experience…

After this month of intensive letter writing, I realized a couple of things that I needed to share with two of those most important people in my life that I was afraid to let down… my parents.

And while I won’t tell you that whole story today, I will say that sharing those two takeaways with them, and the conversations they led to that Thanksgiving Day… changed my life forever.

Because unless we take the time…

not just to watch the videos…

not just to read the articles…

not just to go to the events, the workshops…

not just to write in our journals, or to our friends…

But to do the hard work…

We’ll only ever stay here.

We won’t have the opportunity to actually overcome our communication challenges.

Because it’s not a one-time thing.

It takes practice.

It takes every day action.

If we want to see real results.

If we want to catalyze lasting change.

We have to do the work.

But the work can be hard to do alone.

It can be hard to not know where to start.

And that’s why I designed MasterCom…

The program I wish I had all those years ago when I was going at it alone.

You don’t have to do this alone.

So as we come to the end of this page, here's the bottom line...

I’d like to help you hear things you may not have heard before, see things you haven’t seen on your own, and say things you haven’t been able to say (or ask) before.

I hope you’ll take advantage of one of the options below today.