Hello, I'm Tamara Johnson, your host of The Get Out of the Mud Show with today's Quote and Assignment from Deborah Tannen, who said:

Communication is a continual balancing act, juggling the conflicting needs for intimacy and independence. To survive in the world, we have to act in concert with others, but to survive as ourselves, rather than simply as cogs in a wheel, we have to act alone.

In my opinion, Deborah Tannen is "spot on" with her description of communication as a juggling act. Sometimes, it is difficult to understand how much we should disclose because we fear we could be "swallowed up." Sometimes, we have no idea how to share of ourselves deeply enough to establish intimacy, so we feel isolated and alone. My favorite way of thinking of intimacy is by breaking the word up and tweaking it a little bit. See if this resonates with you . . . . . when we seek intimacy, we are inviting another to "into-me-see." So, in order to develop intimacy, each person must have a well-developed sense of who they are and a strong enough mix of confidence and trust to be able to allow another to "see into" the soul. That's intimacy! And if you can accomplish that kind of intimacy, you also have the strength to let go and enjoy your independence.

To get the assignment associated with this quote, simply fill your name and e-mail address in the form below. I take your privacy very seriously and will never share your information with anyone.

By the way, if you watched my last video, you know that I've been going through an intense growth process. I've decided to make my personal growth process public -- I've literally got my guts spread around the world right now! So, go to my new blog at http://www.TamaraJohnsonsDiary.com to see for yourself that I walk the walk!

Thank you for listening. It's an absolute pleasure to be on this jouurney with you. I'm Tamara Johnson and this is The Get Out of the Mud Show.