Great Minds Dress Alike...NOT!

Linda: It happened again, every once in a while my friend and I show up at work dressed from head to toe so alike. This time - coral and white was the ensemble of the day. Of course, everyone who saw us together that day asked us, "Did you plan that?" How corny. I had the thought, "Ok, which one of us is going to go home to change so people don't wonder if we actually called each other this morning and orchestrated twin day!” Recently we considered calling each other to make sure we were NOT dressed alike. But this was a test to not be rattled by what others might think. Who gives a rip if people have the wrong idea? That's their error. The best way I know to describe it is... great minds not only think alike but dress alike. Aren't we in sync?!

Kathy: We do have similar tastes in how we dress and it makes life interesting. Delightfully, we share many things in common that make life exceptionally fun: shopping for high end bargains, talking about our new favorite books, playing tennis, sitting by the pool, sharing inspirational thoughts, eating at yummy restaurants, and dreaming together about our destinies.
 
Thank goodness for the “samenesses” because they will help you get through the differences. Differences in one another can be challenging to embrace at times. Linda loves schedules, keeping schedules and never changing schedules. I on the other hand appreciate options. Because life happens, it has a way of messing with schedules. I don't mind this so much, but Linda has a cow! Can you imagine two people negotiating between keeping schedules in tact and keeping them open for options of the day? This difference alone could kill a friendship. There were times when it almost killed ours.
 
Linda: Let me tell you, our friendship at times has been resuscitated by focusing on the things we have in common. Had we not used our "samenesses" as common ground, there could have been way too much unhappy stuff keeping us from enjoying each other's company. Friends get stuck when they allow the differences to be bigger than their "samenesses". I can count far too many times when we did not take advantage of spending an afternoon hanging out or even just having lunch because one of us was peeved at the other over a difference of opinion, or a difference in how we do life. Our advice: During the difficult moments, focus on what the two of you share because “samenesses” will help you get through the differences.
 
Friend coaching tip: Focus on your “samenesses” so you both can get through the differences.