7 Comments
User's avatar
Viveka von Rosen's avatar

Yes - this. Interesting, my friend Joseph and I were just talking about this yesterday!

Expand full comment
Paul Chaney's avatar

Bryan, you really got me thinking about this. I used to think that never described me, but the more I think about it, the more I realize how often it does. Someone will post on social media, and I'll comment with something that turns the conversation to me. I'll be conversing and will interrupt the person to talk about me. It's a habit I have to break... because it ain't always about me.

Expand full comment
Bryan Kramer, PCC, CPCC's avatar

Beautiful! As you know, it's not always about us, and learning to stay with someone else’s story is a game-changer. Appreciate you being here and sharing this. Keep going. You’re doing the work.

Expand full comment
Gary Scott Thomas's avatar

I fight being the parade guy, and I know it’s weird, but it helps to remember that I’m the villain in someone else’s story. I strive to be a float in other people’s parades, hoping to be a brief moment of joy in their lives without dominating it

Expand full comment
Bryan Kramer, PCC, CPCC's avatar

Gary, you always find the words that make me pause. That reflection, about being the float, not the parade, it’s so you: thoughtful, generous, kind. You may wrestle with being the villain in someone’s story, but in mine, you’ve always been one of the good ones. Truly.

Expand full comment
Cat Howland's avatar

So many truth bombs in this.

I loved the way you said that being grounded and honoring your own boundaries with folks in main character mode “doesn’t make you selfish. It makes you sovereign.”

Oof. Mic drop.

Expand full comment
Bryan Kramer, PCC, CPCC's avatar

Cat, isn’t it wild how something so simple can take years to grasp? Sovereignty over self, I'm still learning it every day. Thanks for taking a moment here with me.

Expand full comment