Great Minds Think Alike...Right?

In both professional and personal relationships, we all feel good when we find someone who agrees with and celebrates our point of view.  Simply, feeling good is nice, and I generally think it's a good idea to work towards feeling good most of the time, and surrounding yourself with agreeable, like minded people.

As a small business owner, I get a lot of questions from people about the way I choose to run my business: How many hours do you work? Why do you only have 9 freelancers? Why do you have so many freelancers? When are you going to hire a full-time employee? What will happen when you have kids? Have you applied for funding? Where do you see yourself in 5 years?

Most of these questions make me feel proud and excited about my decisions, while some questions, especially those that come from people I trust and respect, leave me up late at night, pondering..."Am I doing the right things for my business? Am I doing the right things for myself?"

The saying 'Great Minds Think Alike' is something that came to mind when writing this post. To me, this reflects that feel good moment when you're on the same page as someone. It's the moment when the client hears my ideas and says: "Yes, I love that. You hear me and you get it." It's that moment when my friends say, "Your Schmooz Cows rock, and I understand your vision." It feels so good, you even smile at each other across the table.

But then, there are the times when people just don't get it or simply don't agree with your point of view... and I don't know about you, but sometimes it makes me a little nervous. I have to remind myself to not take it personally, and to take the difference in opinion as feedback and as an opportunity to grow. And that's what it is, an opportunity to learn, to collaborate and to open your eyes to what your great mind didn't think about.

While getting along with ease is wonderful, great minds thinking alike should not always be the aim. Challenge yourself with a great mind that is not alike to yours. Often, the smile between two people at the resolution of a conversation is a smile that means a lot more. How great does it feel to know that you were able to collaborate productively on something that you once felt so differently about?