Tag Archives: #listen

Spirituality, Uncategorized

How Rude!

More and more I’m seeing signs reminding people to be kind to the person waiting on you. There’s even one on the highway that says “Drive safely. Our workers want to go home to their loved ones.” What has happened to manners?

My belief is that these signs are placed for the minority of the population. Most people don’t act rudely unless provoked. Also, it’s my belief that people who lash out unnecessarily are dealing with something else, and they are reacting in a way they wouldn’t normally. It’s my hope, anyway.

No matter what the sign says, people will act the way they choose to act. Signs don’t change the heart. That’s God’s specialty.

There are subliminal signs everywhere. Look people in the eye. You can see hurt, pain and struggle if you are paying attention. In those moments you can be a listening ear if you are willing.

Be willing. Look for the signs…

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Spirituality

My Mind Is Made Up

The self-righteous people love to tell us what to think. They seat themselves on a lofty perch and lord over all. If you challenge them, you do so at great risk of being insulted for being less than worthy of a minute of their time. Give me a break.

As an alternative, engaging in conversations with open-minded people will really get your engine running. No one knows everything, and studies have demonstrated that we are wrong about complex issues more than we are right. It requires humility to admit it when we are wrong. The only requirement necessary to believe you are right all the time is an inflated ego. Inflated like a Macy’s Thanksgiving Parade balloon.

Talk to everyone. Learn from others. Giving people a voice isn’t a threat. Listening to different perspectives will allow us to see the world through different lenses. It might even change your mind…

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Spirituality

The Art of Listening

We live in a noisy world. It seems like most people just want to call attention to themselves. Some even do outrageous things to grab attention. And how many times have you been in conversations where the other person hears you, but they aren’t listening?

Being a good listener can be exhausting. It requires a lot of energy to clear your mind and focus on your counter party’s words and meanings. You can tell when someone is formulating a response in their mind before you finish speaking. This is both rude and disrespectful. If you are engaging in conversation with someone, have the decency to hear them out. And it goes both ways.

You have probably heard the saying about “the smartest person in the room.” Maybe that has been you in some instances. Yet, it’s important to remember that we can learn something from just about everyone. You won’t learn anything if you are arrogant and self-righteous. If you feel the need to tell the world how smart you are, you might not be that bright. It’s a good idea to humble yourself and listen.

Keep your mind open to the beliefs and ideas of others. Your fellow man is important. When you take the time to listen, you are showing others that they are valuable…

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Spirituality

Tone

When I was raising my children, I told them they could say anything they wanted to me. I was listening to how they said it. I wanted them to feel free to express themselves. Their tone of voice revealed more than their words.

This holds true in life. An angry tone is usually easy to pick up on. So is a happy tone. When we combine the tone of someone’s voice with the look in their eyes, it gives us an opportunity to connect at a deeper level.

Take the time to listen to others, really listen. Then watch how your communication with others improves…

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