Are You Really Listening?
“Seek First to Understand; Then to be Understood”
(Stephen Covey)
One of the root causes of problems is that we really DO NOT LISTEN to one another. Most often, we show a ‘semblance’ of listening; in fact, are not listening at all, but crafting our response .
Why? What are we afraid of?
We are all human beings, part of Team Human. At our core, we all want and need to be seen, valued, and heard. When we lean in, listen with empathy, and truly hear another, relationships are formed and transformed.
To do this, what qualities do you need to possess and demonstrate? Courage and Consideration.
Courage – let your guard down, be vulnerable, show empathy and really crave to know another’s story.
Consideration – put someone else’s views, opinions and journey ahead of your own.
If you do that, do you know what will happen?
You will be given the opportunity to be heard also. It will be a true win/win! It is through this kind of human connection that we shift the momentum and trajectory of this world. Each of us is unique. We have unique views based upon our own lived experiences, values, and beliefs. We each have our own personal maps of our world and reality. We will see the world differently from another. How COOL is that?
So, getting to know another through truly listening, we grow our perspectives and learn to appreciate each other’s differences. We all get better and grow because we see, value, hear, understand, and celebrate each other’s perspectives.
The quality of our lives is determined by the quality of our communications. When we truly seek to understand another, we will find we all have universally shared needs like safety, respect, and love.
Open your ears, heart, mind, and soul and see what a wonderful world we can create together.
