Conversation Kit: Question #6
If you asked me this one, I’d tell you about a turning point I had last fall.
Hello, and welcome back to Conversation Kit, where I share tried-and-true questions for meaningful conversation.
Here’s this week’s question: Tell me about a time when you changed your attitude about something important.
Why I love this prompt: Change is uncomfortable, so it’s fascinating to hear what prompted someone to change their approach to life. Maybe someone’s example inspired them—or maybe their circumstances changed dramatically, and those changes shaped them into a different person.
This idea came up in a recent interview I did with a man named Terry. He said he used to be a negative kid, and that affected the way he approached new experiences. Like when his family crammed into a station wagon to go on a road trip vacation across the country.
We went for days and stopped every now and then. And so we stopped at the Grand Canyon, and I think I refused to get out at first. I don't like heights, to be honest. I don't like cars. I get car sick. So between all that, I was sulking a little bit, and I do remember almost going to the edge and looking over and [then] getting back in the car.
That has affected me into my adulthood. I decided at a certain point in my life, it was actually after [my wife] passed away, that I was never going to say "no" again, as long as it was a reasonable request, a reasonable idea. That I needed to let go of this idea that I had to do things a certain way and just to embrace life. So that was the opposite. It's like two bookends, if you want to think of [my personality] in my youth… and then deciding to open myself up to life and live it fully.
As a result of his change in attitude, Terry started traveling internationally (which he had never done before!) and is now serving a senior mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Rome, Italy.
Try this question in your next conversation, and let me know how it goes!
Spontaneous conversations are great, but I also believe that recording those stories strengthens ties across generations. I started Story-Wright to apply my audio journalism skills to your personal history so that you can tell your story in your voice to your posterity.
If you’re interested in scheduling an interview, click the button below. Right now you can get $50 off your next package if you refer a friend or book multiple interviews for your loved ones!