Sending Confusing Messages

I made a huge mistake last week. It was the biggest mistake I had made so far in the month of April. Here's what happened.

This past Thursday, was opening day of baseball for the Detroit Tigers. Now, I'm a huge sports fan, but baseball is near the bottom of my list for sports that I follow. Not because I don't love the game, it just that it takes a lot of work to keep track of everything happening because they play 162 games a year. With that in mind, I wasn't up to date with all things Detroit Tigers, all I knew is that Thursday was opening day at Comerica Park in Detroit. 

So, in honor of baseball starting for Detroit I put on the only piece of baseball apparel I own, which is a Boston Red Sox hat that matches the one that my wife and I bought while we were on our honeymoon in Boston. I proceeded to take a picture of me in this hat and tweet about my excitement for Tigers baseball. 

What I didn't know, is that the Tigers were opening up against the Red Sox! So, it appeared to many people on Facebook and Twitter that I was routing directly against the Tigers. The message I was trying to communicate was perceived with the complete opposite meaning. 

Here's what I learned:

1. Tigers fans are really pumped for this year and are ready to pounce on anyone who stands in their way. I still have the bruise from that old ladies purse to prove it!

2. Don't assume people know what you're thinking.  Clearly communicate exactly what you're trying to get across and do it with repetition. This means thinking through the message that you are sending and evaluating whether or not it will accomplish the goal you think it will. 

3. Reputations are at stake.  Thankfully for me, the worst thing that could happen is that someone thinks I am a Red Sox fan. In the panoramic scope of life, that's a very small thing. But, what if I had said something that was taken negative about my wife, or my boss, or my faith. We are all constantly forming opinions and reputations for each other whether we realize it or not. My inability to communicate clearly with you can hinder the things that we could have learned from each other. 

4. Don't let what others think about you define you - but be aware of it.  Knowing how others perceive you allows you to honestly take a look at your life and evaluate where you can improve. Constructive criticism from a friend should be valued more highly than praise from a 100 other people. 

5. Go Tigers!

How's your communication with others?

Have you asked a close friend how you could improve?

Have you asked for/given constructive criticism to a friend? How did you/they respond?