Many moons ago, my brother and I had a discussion about how we Google. Hey, we talk about a lot of things that are on our minds, not necessarily anything deep and insightful. We are very different people, which means we Google in completely opposite ways. Or at least did at the time of this convo. He was the, “I want to make the decisions for myself” kind of guy and would Google using as broad of terms as possible. I, on the other hand, am a, “I want to go through as few highly-specific results as possible” kind of person–which I still am to this day. He would start general and winnow as he went. I start very specific and broaden out if needed.
Some years ago, my brother told me that he had come around to my point of view. I want to stress that I don’t think my way is better–it’s just how I do things. I have always Googled this way and it’s done me well over the years. I am a Google deity and if I can’t find it, it can’t be found (well, anything that can be found legally, that is). One time, my parents couldn’t find the contact information for my father’s ex-boss (From decades ago. They remained in touch over the years and then lost contact). My brother was over, and we went to work. We had the name and the last phone number they were able to reach him through. The latter was not working and they really wanted to find him. We checked the socials–nothing. His name wasn’t very uncommon, either, so we couldn’t find him that way. I don’t remember all the machinations we went through, but we finally found him.
My mom is a sandplay therapist and sometimes asks me about a certain miniature she has, but does not know what it is. One time, it was a Indian (from India) god statue. She sent me a picture. That was it. I had a similar statue, but that wasn’t helpful. It took me an hour, but I found out the information she was seeking.
Anyway, what changed my brother’s mind? His bio for his real estate work. It’s highly specific because he works best with certain types of people (as we all do). He’s not touchy-feely at all so he prefers people who are more on the pragmatic side. He had to learn how to be sensitive to other people’s feelings and it’s still not something he’s great at. Instead of fighting it, however, he embraced other parts of himself instead. His terrifying efficiency and competency. His zeal for environmental protection policies (both politically and personally). His vast stores of knowledge in his field and about computers. His warmth and his desire to do his absolute best for every client.