In Others’ Words: Listen Carefully

Do you prefer to talk or to listen?

I admit it: I love participating in a good conversation. A conversation between friends or family, sometimes interlaced with laughter or perhaps tears, can be refreshing. Healing.

But more and more over the years, I’ve learned to talk less and listen more.

I had to be intentional about being quiet and listening. Talking is easier than listening because, to be frank, it’s me-centered. To listen, I have to think first, before the conversation even begins, and determine to let someone else speak while I stay silent.

It’s true that when I talk to someone else — who happens to be listening to me carefully — I can discover some truths about myself. Our conversation becomes an act of self-discovery. But it’s more often true that when I listen carefully to someone else that I learn more about them. Our relationship deepens — and often I learn some truth that I can apply to my own life.

And that’s why listening is a relational win-win.

In Your Words: Which comes easier for you: talking or listening? What helps you listen to others? What have you learned from listening carefully?

In Others' Words: Listen Carefully http://bit.ly/2sxtydk #relationships #listening
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'I like to listen. I have learned a great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.' #quote by Ernest Hemingway http://bit.ly/2sxtydk #relationships
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