Though this might seem like a strange request, have you ever sat back and asked yourself, am I a good listener?
When someone engages in communication with me, especially from their heart, do I only hear what I want to hear – enabling me to shy away from conversations I’m not comfortable having?
There’s an art to being a good listener.
It means clearing your mind of all other thoughts and preconceptions and truly “hearing” what the person before you is saying. Empathizing with their plight in life and trying your best to offer constructive solutions, unconditional support or well-thought out arguments for what they’re trying to share with you.
I know I make is sound difficult, but as I said it’s an art that not everyone in the world can master.
Greek philosopher Epictetus once said, “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.”
Unfortunately, even with two ears, most people never really “hear” what they should.
