Choose your conversations and your community

Why should you choose your conversations? Conversations shape our lives Conversation is constant The conversations we have are dramatically influenced by the people we associate with Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

What happens when we decide to choose? We can choose more of the conversations that exhilarate and sustain us. Sometimes we can’t control the outward circumstances of our lives. Yet no matter what happens, we can retain the right to choose our conversations. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

How do I choose my community? Before choosing whether to participate in a particular conversation, we can pay attention to several characteristics of that conversation: Time frame Topic Attitude Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

How can I use this now? All of this can apply to succeeding in school. Excelling in higher education means allowing plenty of time for the conversations that start in class and continue in our textbooks and notes and beyond. Visit the instructor during office hours. Talk to classmates. Form study groups. Read unassigned books. Engage in conversations outside of the class that support your work in the class. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

How can I use this in the future? Choosing a conversation about career planning means choosing to make this conversation come alive. Visit the instructor during office hours. Use conversations to discuss what you can do to improve in the workplace. Spend time with people who speak and live consistently with the attitudes you value. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.

Keep looking for answers Switch your conversation channel if you find yourself in a conversation that is not empowering. Remake your thoughts—and use this tool to choose a sustained conversation about choosing your life’s work. Copyright © Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.