Although I’ve moved away from using Evernote, their blog still often features interesting content. Recently they’ve had a three-part series on minimalism that heavily leans on Joshua Becker ( part 1, part 2, part 3). Among Joshua’s reflections that the series provides are a two-part suggestion for “saying ’no’ effectively:
...Over at Becoming Minimalist, Joshua Becker聽offers some personal introspection on a paradigmatic case of forgetting a couple’s names. In part, Becker narrates,
I was sad that I wasn鈥檛 able to remember something as simple as the names of two people I very much enjoyed meeting.
…
And suddenly it struck me.
I entered the conversation鈥攁s I do so often鈥攚ith the desire to be known rather than to know. I was trying so hard to say something impressive or witty or intelligent that I entirely missed what they were saying on the other side of the conversation.
...