Do You Hear When You Listen?

Are you HEARING me?  I mean, really hearing me?

How well do you listen?

• Do you interrupt while someone is talking to you?  Is this a reaction to a word or snippet of what they are attempting to say versus a response to what has been said?

• Do you listen to your own body?  Like that anxious or hurried feeling we sometimes feel from drinking too much coffee first thing in the morning?

• Are you watching someone talking to you and daydreaming about something else and commenting just to have something to say?

Learning to listen well takes practice.   At least it did for me.  It took me learning to quiet my own mind because the chatter going on in my own head was relentless.  One of the things that really, really helped me learn to become a better listener was meditation.  Meditation helped me quiet my mind .... go figure :-)

I find that when I am in a calm place (internally - which is what results for me when I meditate regularly) that I can listen with intention. I actually "hear" what is being said and I do not automatically react (which for me used to equal "giving advice") - an old behavior of mine.

Today, I can actually respond - or not.  (Was there even a question being asked?)  When I do respond, it is after I have thought about what was actually said.  Then, and only then, can I determine whether a response at all is even necessary.

Sometimes people just need someone to listen - nothing more.

Today, I do not view myself as being "the authority on everything" that I MUST respond (or react) to everything that is being said.

And who says you can't teach an old dawg new tricks???