Almost 100% Sure

I remember meeting with a couple who felt their marriage was over.  I listened, I advised, and I listened and advised some more.  All to no avail.

Finally, our counseling session wound down to hopeless silence. 

After a pause, I looked at them and said, “So, what you’re saying is that you’re both 100% convinced that there is no hope for your marriage?”  They both agreed.

Then I had a moment of inspiration….

I said, “Could you tweak that statement just a bit and say, “I am almost 100% convinced that our marriage is over.”? 

Surprised and somewhat reluctantly they both agreed. 

Then I said, “Now we’ve got a chance and we’re going to hang on to that almost as if your very lives depended on it.” 

That one word—almost—was a game changer.  It allowed them to reconsider that maybe they were not 100% right and the other 100% wrong.  And from there, through it was a long and tough road, they worked through their difficulties and saved their marriage. 

---

What a lesson for today. 

We are so divided and so convinced — 100% – that we are right, and the other side is wrong.    

But being willing to add an “almost” gives us a fighting chance instead of just a chance to fight. 

That little bit of humility allows us to listen and find common ground…and common ground is the foundation where we can build a better world.

The ONE THING for today: When it comes to people, the only thing we can be 100% sure of is that none of us are 100% right about 100% of everything 100% of the time.