I was speaking with my friend Tom over breakfast the other day about how helpful it has been for me, to have a community of people that could hear me over this past year as I have processed my way through a reinvention of myself. This community did not necessarily offer the answers or solutions but they let me process and they asked good questions.
As I reflected upon that conversation it strikes me that in our professional and personal lives we spend a lot of time broadcasting and trying to be heard. Yet how much time do we take to listen? In thinking about how it would feel for you to be heard; ask yourself, what it might be like for your costumers or employees to be heard. What might it like for your children or souse to be heard?
My experience is that when someone listens deeply and without an agenda of their own, I have a visceral reaction. Everything slows down; I feel I can take a deep breath. I have affection for the listener and I trust them
This is a time of year when people ramp up their social activities and they are trying to wrap up their years and stress is abundant. Google “Christmas Stress” and you will get close to 200 million posts.
Why not give people you care about something they will remember in their hearts; the gift of being heard?
