Are you paying me attention?

Listening and Talking

If one could only teach the English how to talk and the Iris how to listen, society here would be quite civilized… Oscar Wilde

How to truly listen – actively, positively listen.

Listening is not waiting for the other person to finish so that we can say what we want to say. Listening is not preparing what we want to say while the other is speaking.

Listening is taking a deep breath and clearing ourselves so that we can be receptive to hearing what the other is saying – without interrupting. Listening is letting the words, feelings and intuitions of the other enter into our inner space so that we have the possibility of knowing without words.

No man was ever wise by chance – Seneca

There seems to be a one-to-one positive correlation between wisdom, listening, and humility.

The wisest people are the most humble and skilled listeners. Somehow listening, wisdom and humility seem to form an unstoppable tripod of basics for good living.

• Good listeners have the ability to listen to themselves. They are not selfish or self-centered in their self listening, they are simply attentive. They are attentive to the small stirrings within themselves that allow them to know themselves and be in tune with themselves.

• Good listeners listen to their God, their Higher Power, their Creator or the Universal Wisdom that sustains and informs us all.

• Good listeners listen lovingly to others, finding something of importance in everything that is said.

• They listen to nature, knowing that the utterings of the world around them are older than any of us and need to be heeded if we are to live in balance and harmony.

Then there is talking

When we talk, we have a sacred responsibility for everything that comes out of our mouth. We have an obligation to speak clearly, truthfully, and succinctly so that what we convey has the best possible chance to be understood.

We can be somber, funny, entertaining or serious and we are responsible for our words if we want others to listen to us.

Most of the time I listen and I tend to listen more than what I should causing me a lot of unhappiness as I tend to go out off my way to help out my talker. My restriction should be; "wait until the talker asks you to act", I am too impulsive.

One thing I need to improve is my talking, I let go loose my pent up feelings all at once, take it of leave it otherwise, I practice "sensible talking".

Check out your listening and talking skills…