Week two has started; Ronnie drew a card today...and...drum roll please...my second personal mission to make a difference in 2011 is to...LISTEN. Did you hear me? LISTEN. You know,"God gave you one mouth and two ears for a reason." Actually, I was slightly disappointed when I saw the card--the disappointment felt when you expect a Robert Frost's "Two roads diverged in a yellow wood and I took the road less traveled..." and get Dr. Seuss', "A cat sat on the mat." instead. Simplicity can be good--refreshing.
Hmmm...so the front of the card says LISTEN with a cartoonish picture of a girl on a phone, listening and smiling--I think she looks like she's surviving, or perhaps, tolerating the voice at the other end of the line. Anyway, the back description reads, "Listen more. Don't just pretend to listen, really listen: Hear what someone is telling you. What this world needs more of (besides parking spaces) is people who can just listen, without giving unsolicited advice. The validation of being heard is often more important and needed than solving whatever problem your friend is telling you about."
I do not profess to be a good listener; however, my strengths assessment 2.0 results say that I have the qualities to be a good listener. It's not that I don't genuinely care about what my friends and colleagues have to say, it's just that I get tired of being filled up with others' drama day in and day out. You know what I mean--in this fast-paced world there is too much information coming in from every direction. My Mom says, "Let it roll off you like water off a duck's back." It's not always that easy, but this week, I will make every concerted effort to be mindful of listening, not solving (unless necessity compells me to do so)...
"Do you hear what I hear?"
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