The value of 8 Minutes?

For all of the things about social media that I really dislike, for me the one upside is learning new things that have helped me grow. I recently saw something that really struck me.

It was Simon Sinek telling the story of when his dear friend Maria invited him to dinner and told him that she had recently gone through a very hard time. He was upset that she hadn’t reached out to him. She responded that she had in fact texted and invited him to coffee a few times. He asked her how he was supposed to know that those texts were a cry for support as opposed to every other time she asked to get together.

During their dinner conversation, Maria said that she had read an article that said that when someone is struggling all they need is 8 minutes from a friend to support them by holding space with them, to make them feel better.

The two decided that from that time forward, if one of them needed some support, they would text “Do you have 8 minutes?” It would mean that they needed the other.

Anybody can stop what they are doing, even step out of a meeting, for 8 minutes to be there for someone. It’s that simple to support them and help them get back on track.

There is no greater honor than to send that text to your friend. Share this with a friend!