I like starting stuff! Sometimes it’s because I get a little bored with the status quo. When things get too comfortable I like to change them up, put a little life back into the routine. Sometimes I can see things that could be where there is a gap. Sometimes, it’s because it is what the situation warrants for me to be faithful to who I am.
I believe people like to be involved in new things.
The Creator of the Universe declares that he is in the business of making all things new and we are invited to participate. In a few posts I want to explore starting new things, from friendships to community groups. You don’t have to be an entrepreneur to start something up.
When I speak to groups who are starting new things, which is fairly often, I will ask “How many of you have made a new friend in the last six months?” You’d be surprised at how many people in a group of a 100 will say they have. It’s not half but it’s not one or two.
Then I ask a follow up question, “How many of you have shared a meal with that new friend in the last month?” The number drops off considerably. Starting new friendships seems to be important throughout our lives. I was recently talking to a woman who is moving to be close to her children and grandchildren. She’s moving from the sunny environment of Southern California to a place that can get downright cold! It will require that she meets new people and forge new friendships. Any kind of move will demand this: moving jobs, neighborhoods, homes, churches – all require creating new relationships.
How do you begin? It begins by being a good listener before you are a good talker.
You’ll find yourself being invited into other people’s lives if you take an interest in them, rather than focusing on making sure they know about you. One person put it this way, take the worldview of someone else as seriously as they do, if you want to forge a new relationship. Listening deeply is not as easy as it seems. For me, it means I hear someone else out, resisting the temptation to be formulating my response before they are done talking!
What is true of people is also true of contexts.
Listening to a community means actively “listening” or “observing” what is going on around you. If you have been in a neighborhood for a long time or just moving onto a new street or into a new town, think about these questions my friend Dan Steigerwald suggests.
What are the pressing issues my town/neighborhood faces?
What are the questions people are asking, and what needs and concerns do I commonly hear people talking about? What seems to be good news in the neighborhood?
What seems to be bad news where I live?
Listening to others and to our community allows us to imagine where something new could happen. Maybe it’s a new friendship? Maybe it’s a new social group? Maybe it’s coming alongside others to try a new way of making a difference, of adding value, or just plain having fun around things others consider fun!?
Take the first step to starting something new in your life. Listen to those around you and to your neighborhood.
