There is an iceberg of information you don’t know about that person you just met – just under the surface. Their thoughts, their experiences – the meeting they had this morning, the argument they had last night. Their parents, their neighbors, their habits and their quirks. Their grandparents and the house they grew up in. The divorce, the friendships, their first job. Their first love. Their first loss and their most recent one. What foods they like, what side of the bed they sleep on, what coffee they drink for breakfast. What they do for work. What they do for fun.
All of it.
It might be helpful to get to know them before you tell them everything about what you want, what you care about, what you know and what you think about them. Did you think you had all the answers? Have you already decided you know everything about them based on how they look, what they just said and all the other assumptions you just made?
Take a minute and be curious. Ask questions. Look under the surface.
They might just do the same for you, and what a great starting point to a meaningful and mutually beneficial relationship that might be!