In my last post I said I would write about the act of listening. I am going to say a few things out of the many that could be said.
Knowing how to listen has a value that is little appreciated. If we know how to listen, we hear what is relevant. There are fewer misunderstandings. We save time, because we do not leave things halfway, listening without really hearing them. The other side of this is that those who should listen do not stop talking, and in this way make the conversation lose its meaning.
When you listen to someone, are you listening one hundred percent or are you thinking about what you are going to answer, what you are going to do afterwards, what someone told you, or about what you hear or see at that moment? Are there other distractions? When someone tells you something sad or problematic, do you interrupt all the time with your comments about similar situations you know, or by giving advice? Do you get distracted in your own world until they finish speaking? Do you get angry or irritated?
When you want to be listened to, does it bother you if the person listening does all those things or some of them? How do you feel when someone does not listen to you from the heart, when they interrupt you to give their opinion or to advise you? Ah! And what about when they compare you with other people who say they are going through the same thing?
If you do not listen one hundred percent, you do not respect the person who is speaking to you. If you do not listen one hundred percent in any situation in life, you will always fall short of what you learned, received, or made use of. Do not feel you are the only one; there are many people who join in with this. But you can make the difference.
To know how to listen well, you have to start by listening to yourself. Listen to yourself when you speak with people. What do you say? How do you say it? What tone do you use? What do you feel when you say it? Being aware of this is very valuable. Whatever you find and consider needs polishing, do it as soon as possible.
Also listen to yourself when you speak to yourself. Be aware of the thoughts you have. Look for the reason for having them, because many of them are not yours, even though it may seem they are. Clean out your thoughts.
I am the force of life and so are you.
