Rushing in to offer advice—or to cheer someone up—may reflect our own inability to remain emotionally present in the face of another person’s problems and pain, or to experience our own. If we move in too quickly with solutions, we can make it harder for others to be in touch with their own competence and inner resources, and we unwittingly rob those we love of the opportunity to feel what they are feeling and express it to us. Learning to be an attentive, caring listener and a skilled questioner can empower others to search for their own solutions.
