Today I want to talk about valuing contrast. A lot of us like to think about conflict or differences. Those are the words we tend to use, but I like the word contrast because it’s kind of like putting something bright red on a piece of a stark white background. It really pops and you notice it. You notice the difference between the red and the white.
So, valuing contrast and the way I want to speak about it is about how people will come to us with a different opinion, and we have a tendency to get defensive, or maybe we think, “I got to give him on my side. He needs to agree with me.”
When we do that, we forget that there’s value in that contrasting opinion. We value the contrasting opinion. It can lead us to a new and creative idea, a new way of thinking about the topic. We may not agree with it, but it’s amazing when you can just say, “Oh, it’s either got to be my way or the highway,” and say instead, “Huh, that’s interesting, and what if we did this…” because that is where you find true innovation and creativity.
So my little advice this week, value the contrast in your life. I’m Roberta Fernandez, Your Ability Activator.