Which bridge would get your vote as the most beautiful bridge in the World?

· Sydney Harbour Bridge, Australia?

· The Forth Bridge, Scotland?

· Ponte Di Rialto, Venice, Italy?

· Brooklyn Bridge, New York, USA?

· Ponte Vecchio, Florence, Italy?

· Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco, USA?

· Tower Bridge, London, England?

· Millau Viaduct, France?

My vote goes to a metaphorical bridge, the word: "and"!

"And," builds bridges between what was before and what comes after.

It's like Aikido – maintaining the flow of energy between one point and the next.

When picked up in a conversation, it allows the river of communication to keep flowing – building stronger links between the positions on either side, the parties engaged in the exchange.

I have a colleague whose favourite conjunction is the word: "but"!

He doesn't build bridges, he builds barriers.

His barriers block the flow and leave those he talks to (at?) disempowered, and feeling devalued.

Now, "but" has its place as an important word, but "and" is better!

Let's not talk any more about him, eh?

What about people who say, "and," but mean "but"?

They are like a bridge that ends half-way across the river. People are not stupid, they know when someone isn't being genuine.

My recommendation is to make conscious friends with "Andy" today! To deliberately and systematically use "and" more and "but" less. Find what you like in the gift of conversation that someone is offering you, AND add to it in the direction they are flowing.

If they say, "What a beautiful day!" Reply with, "Yes, it is a beautiful day, and I'm so pleased to be sharing it with you!" (OK, that was a bit Tree-Huggy, wasn't it?)

My belief is that, together, you'll find a way to exciting new conclusions, and in and!

Lex

A Moodscope member.