Have you ever been in the middle of a great conversation, only to have it suddenly turn into an argument?

You’re asking yourself what the hell happened, as the other person in now going off on some tangent that makes no sense to you at all.   While you sit there attempting to respectfully listen, your mind is whirling around trying to figure out what triggered the drastic change.   You struck a nerve.

When you strike in nerve, you’ve triggered a mechanism in their brain that puts them into a defensive mode.  You’ve touched upon something they hold sacred, whether out of fear, pasts experience or whatever.  You said something that challenged their beliefs – good for you.  Now, I’m not suggesting you throw salt in a wound, but I will tell you that pushing them to stretch their head and heart around a different thought process is going to help them grow.

We all have buttons, that when pushed, trigger a reaction.  I still struggle to talk about an experience a few years ago.  I brings up all sorts of gook, but it is healthy for me to revisit it, and attempt to heal it.   When the people involved come up in conversation, I can feel my mindset shifting.  It’s work to keep it under control ~ so I’ve stopped trying.  I just let it out and each time I do, it gets better.

People have a lot of buttons when it comes to money.  Those get struck when someone comes along (like me) and challenges their beliefs on how it can be made or the level of importance is has in one’s life.   When you put someone in the position where they have to take an honest look at their value system as it revolves around money and success, you’d be surprised at the reaction.  This is how people get stuck in the 9 to 5  J O B life.   It’s part of their belief around success and money.  When that gets challenged, so does their sense of security and their perceived role in society.  You’re taking them out of their comfort zone.

Keep doing it.

What are your buttons?