“I want to write about the great and powerful thing that listening is. And how we forget it. And how we don’t listen to our children, or those we love. And least of all – which is so important, too – to those we do not love. But we should. Because listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a creative force…When we are listened to, it creates us, makes us unfold and expand. Ideas actually begin to grow within us and come to life.” Brenda Ueland, The Art of Listening
Have you ever been part of a conversation where you felt deeply heard? That sort of “you-get-me” feeling comes from the listener being 100% committed to understanding you. There’s a magic that happens when you sense the other person not only wants to hear what you say, but is willing to put aside their own needs and thoughts and perspectives so they can listen. Listening is the key that unlocks the heart and mind of the speaker.
How would your relationships evolve if you were to transform listening from an obligation – something you must do – to a privilege? How would you be changed by approaching listening as a sacred honor?
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