Keep Listening
Today I am grateful for my job and the people I come in contact with there. I am also grateful for two ears that work.
Yesterday as I tried to listen more intently, I noticed a few things. Listening intently was an effective way of helping me slow down. That is a good thing. I can get wound pretty tight if I don't pause from time to time. I can fall into that trap both at work and at home. Listening is a built-in downshift.
I was reminded of how fortunate I am to have good hearing. There are many people who struggle with hearing, and many more who can't hear. I enjoyed the music I was listening to on my way to work. It included "Carole King: Her Greatest Hits."
As I made the effort to be a better listener, I realized that it helped me better see and more accurately read other people's facial expressions. When we are "too busy" to listen or we are multi-tasking, we not only miss some of the words spoken, we also miss the non-verbals, which are just as important.
The realization also came that true silence is hard to come by in our electrified and electronic surroundings. Even if it's quiet, there is often a buzz or hum in the background. But the closer it gets to silent, the better the calming effect seems to be. If I can't get complete silence, I'll take what I can get.
In closing, a quote I have always liked regarding listening: "There's a reason why we have two ears and one mouth. We should listen twice as much as we talk." I will try to employ that today.
Yesterday as I tried to listen more intently, I noticed a few things. Listening intently was an effective way of helping me slow down. That is a good thing. I can get wound pretty tight if I don't pause from time to time. I can fall into that trap both at work and at home. Listening is a built-in downshift.
I was reminded of how fortunate I am to have good hearing. There are many people who struggle with hearing, and many more who can't hear. I enjoyed the music I was listening to on my way to work. It included "Carole King: Her Greatest Hits."
As I made the effort to be a better listener, I realized that it helped me better see and more accurately read other people's facial expressions. When we are "too busy" to listen or we are multi-tasking, we not only miss some of the words spoken, we also miss the non-verbals, which are just as important.
The realization also came that true silence is hard to come by in our electrified and electronic surroundings. Even if it's quiet, there is often a buzz or hum in the background. But the closer it gets to silent, the better the calming effect seems to be. If I can't get complete silence, I'll take what I can get.
In closing, a quote I have always liked regarding listening: "There's a reason why we have two ears and one mouth. We should listen twice as much as we talk." I will try to employ that today.
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