Have you ever met anyone who listens to you with their entire being? I did, and it changed my life. I went to a wellness doctor because I wanted to be as healthy as I could be. Remember one of my favorite books is called The Seven Habits of Effective People? The reason I bring this up is that one of the rules is “Sharpen the saw”. The idea is that you have to sharpen and improve yourself (the saw) if you are going to use it as a tool. It makes perfect sense. So to me, investing in my health, happiness or anything that will reduce inefficiency is a helpful thing.
Here is how I knew that this doctor was listening to me. As I was describing the purpose of my visit, I felt a pain in my back. My shoulder moved slightly and I didn’t think anything else happened until I stopped and told the doctor what just happened. She said, “I know.” I asked how she could know and she said “I was watching you and could tell from how your body reacted.” I realized that not only was she listening with her ears, but also listening with her eyes. To me, this was an example to me on how I could listen to other people.
Listening is hard. I don’t have an easy answer. You have to stop paying attention to the chattering monkey in your mind throwing the day’s audio around in your head. You have to focus on the other person and really try to understand where they are coming from and how it feels to be them. However it is so worth it, and while you might feel you have done much, you have done everything that you need to do. You have listened to someone else and let them express themselves, and that is crucial to anyone’s happiness.