[immoceefe]

I remember where I took one Landmark course in the Wisdom Division where the theme of the course was bluntly stated as 'talk to strangers'. I really saw that if all I did was have the same conversations with the same people over and over again, my life would always be exactly the same.

I've come up with a related mantra involving what it sometimes takes to break the ice with strangers: embrace the awkwardness; embrace the uncertainty.

If what I'm really attached to is having comfortable conversations, I'm just going to end up having more of those same conversations with the same people. If I'm willing to accept and even embrace the awkwardness that sometimes accompanies a new conversation, with a new person or on a new topic, then it gets much easier. Only in the uncertainty of a new conversation is something new actually possible. The end result of this is that a shy person like me got involved in politics, and a shy person like me asked out a cosmopolitan woman who became my wife.

[EspanaCamsInfo]

When I took the Forum they did an exercise that forced me to confront how I am with strangers: I got that I remained silent around people I didn't know because I was afraid it would be awkward or embarrassing to open my mouth. What I realized during that exercise is that everyone around me is thinking exactly the same thing, and because of that, what you end up with is a world of silent strangers where everyone wants to talk but is afraid to be the first to speak. I took on talking to strangers, and the possibilities it opens up are amazing - strangers actually want you to talk to them, and while I've made friends and had amazing conversations, I've never once had it turn out to be the awkward encounter I feared. Quite the opposite - it turns out it's more awkward to stay silent.