Explanations do not matter without listeners

I may believe I have a great path forward—one that I want to demonstrate to others.

But the reality is that most people are focused on convincing themselves (and sometimes others) that their own paths are the right ones. They are usually not interested enough in my path to pay attention to my demonstration.

I’m beginning to think that a demonstration only works when others are genuinely interested in understanding what you believe is the best path.

More and more, it seems the real question is: What does your audience want as a destination? And what might you not understand about the path they’ve chosen? People may need to feel some dissatisfaction or discomfort with their own path before they’re open to considering another.

If my audience does not share the same destination I do, there is little value in discussing my path with them. And even if they do share the same destination, but are unwilling to reflect on or question why their current path should be compelling for me to consider, then discussion may still be pointless.

The same applies to me. If my path and destination matter only to me, what is the purpose of explaining them?