push-back and country dancing

Two things became clear to me yesterday: (1) in order to analyze well, you have to have a push-back friend, and (2) even when treading in unknown waters, you can find enough similarities to collaborate and make things work.

My friend, Brad, is my push-back buddy. He makes me explain my ideas and always takes time to play devil's advocate. I was thinking about this yesterday, because I had a conversation with someone who not only pushed backed, but discredited my ideas by citing his own ideas. That is NOT my idea of a push-back friend, but a stubborn one. So, as you pick a push-back friend to help you figure out solutions to, oh, let's say, POVERTY, be sure he is willing to listen and question, but not discredit unless warranted. The idea is to work as a team in analyzing. Everyone should have a Brad in her life.

Now on to the next experience of yesterday: country dancing. I have never been country dancing before, so I felt like a whole different world was being created around me. Interestingly enough, I didn't feel so out of place. I have done a lot of Latin dancing in my life, so the basic moves were the same, but the lack of hip movement was different. However, I was able to couple my knowledge from Latin dancing with the lifts and bouncing of country dancing to help me navigate the waters of country dancing...and the truth is, I had a FANTASTIC time! So, as I consider solutions for poverty, I shouldn't be afraid to go out-of-bounds in new areas with new ideas; I should use the knowledge I have and make it work. I think the end result has the potential to be better.