HEFE and FORD Methods to Start a Conversation

Greetings all!

The holiday season is upon us! And this means holiday gatherings – and small talk! – with family, friends, colleagues, and strangers. 

My favorite conversation starters are food, books, and travel. And, of course, it is always nice to give compliments! Just be kind, sincere, and genuinely curious!

If you ever struggle with initiating a conversation, especially with strangers, here are 2 low-stakes methods to help you ease into small talk!

Image from https://www.flickr.com/photos/deeplifequotes/7075486993/in/photostream/

HEFE:

H – Hobbies

E – Entertainment

F – Food

E – Environment (your immediate surroundings, not climate change as it might be too heavy of a topic for a holiday party!) 

FORD:

F – Family

O – Occupation

R – Recreation

D – Dreams

What did you think? Drop me a line! 

Source: https://lifehacker.com/health/use-the-hefe-method-to-get-better-at-small-talk

Thought of the week – Live the Pareto Principle Lifestyle

Greetings all!

I was recently thinking about the Pareto Principle in the context of how we often stress ourselves out and spread ourselves thin: by going down the rabbit hole of internet (even in the name of research!), or being unable to say no, or hanging out with people who no longer spark joy. You can probably relate, no?

Image from https://library.cod.edu/consumer/stress 

The Pareto Principle is also known as the 80/20 Rule, which specifies that 80% of consequences come from 20% of the causes. Here is a great quote that I love by James Clear that talks about living Pareto Principle lifestyle:

“Relationships. Who are the few people that have the most positive impact on my life? Spend more time with them.

Priorities. What are the few actions that have the most positive impact on my day? Prioritize them.

Learning. What are the few information sources I learn the most from? Focus on them.

Stress. What are the few sources that cause most of the stress and friction in my life? Eliminate them.”

What did you think? Drop me a line! 

Sources:

• https://jamesclear.com/3-2-1/may-25-2023
• https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/paretoprinciple.asp

Random: The Oldest Thing

Greetings all!
 
I was recently thinking about how small we are in the grand scheme of things. Why was I thinking about it, you might ask?
 
I was looking at the pictures from my recent trip to Norway, and one picture kept catching my eye (and my mind). In the Botanical Gardens of Oslo, I touched a pink rock that might be between 400 and 250 MILLION years old. How about that? Goes without saying, that was the oldest thing I have experienced in my life! 

What did you think? Drop me a line!

Selection of Creative Kids’ Halloween Costumes

Source (and more!): https://www.aol.com/111-kids-won-halloween-creative-070045909.html