Have you ever tried to jump into the middle of a complicated movie (Momento, Sliding Doors, Usual Suspects, etc.) and make sense of the plot?  Sure, you could try to add two and two together, but without starting from the beginning of the story, the conclusion that you’d make in your mind will likely be WAY off target.

According to my dad, the same goes in our conversations with people we care about.  We too often jump into – or even start – a conversation from the middle instead of from the start.  We make assumptions about where people are coming from, their perspectives, their upbringing or other contributing factors that lead to miscommunication.  How do we get over this hurdle?  Dad says the key is simply starting at the same starting point.  Hear him (from the beginning) and you’ll see what he means.