Axios Finish Line evening newsletter always brings a brief, insightful nugget into my inbox—sort of like the cherry atop the sundae of the day. Axios is one of my two main news sources. They are journalists and a business, so they do drop into click-bait headlines at times and have too much “he said, she said” reporting with occasional speculation rather than strictly reporting facts. Even so, they are brief and even handed. Finish Line tops off the day.
CEO Jim VandeHei riffed off one of the best scenes in TV history from the Ted Lasso show. This is the dart contest scene (Oh, I forgot I was left handed). As Ted explains to (villain) Rupert, “If you were curious instead of judgmental, you would have asked if I had ever played darts.”
Lasso quotes Walt Whitman (not exactly accurately sourced), “Be curious, not judgmental.”
VandeHei writes, “Those four words can radically shift how you think and feel about politics, social media posts, your employer, and even friends and family.”
It’s natural to react emotionally or defensively when people do or say things you think are wrong — or flat-out bonkers. But try the opposite approach for a week: Be genuinely curious why they do or say those things. Worst case: You’ll burn less and learn more.
He offers four possible arenas to test drive. I’ll offer a glimpse. Click the link above for the full thought (short read).
1. Politics: Stop assuming the “other side” is corrupt, inept or dumb.
2. Social media: Never in history have humans wasted more time getting more worked up over more topics than when doom-scrolling. Instead of taking the bait, take a break.
3. Workplace: One of the smartest things we did when founding Axios was to be extremely transparent about the business and our beliefs. This demystified things internally — dramatically reducing the gossiping and wonderment about what we really think.
4. Family & friends: Almost every time my wife, Autumn, is pissed at me, it’s because I didn’t take the time to ask one simple thing: Why do you feel that way?
Try asking and listening rather than judging and talking.
