A Listening Ear

Half of communication is listening and it's something we find extremely hard to do most of the time! Have you ever been talking with someone and you can honestly say that you were waiting for a break in conversation just so you could say what YOU wanted to say? Honestly, I do that a lot and I'm not proud of it. It's a sign of too much pride in my life; something I've been working on for a while. But today, I allowed myself to LISTEN to people. In several conversations today I just listened; I never tried to formulate a response and I didn't try to think about a way to put in my two cents. I just listened---and LEARNED. I was reminded that people feel genuinely valued when they are listened to. I learned that sometimes people just need to vent so they can get their feelings out and move on with their day. I learned that sometimes they need to HEAR themselves saying something so that it registers in their minds and hearts. If we don't take the time to really listen, we could be depriving them of valuable lessons as well.

It's hard to REALLY listen to the people around us. I urge you to take time to hear what people are saying around you. It's amazing that by listening, our eyes can be opened.