There have been so many times that I should've listened to someone and didn't. Times where I could have given a conversation more attention but was distracted by something else (usually my phone).
But this week, I put my phone down, was interested in what someone was saying, and tried to listen.
I know it's obvious, but it worked. Not only did I feel better about my friendship with this person, but it meant a lot to them. He loved that I would sit and listen and empathize with him. I learned that people like people that will be interested in them. People also like people that are excited about things they're excited about.
I know, this shouldn't be a mind-blowing concept, but it was.
What did I take away from this? I need to be more invested in actually listening to people. Listening is more that nodding or agreeing, but it's engaging and commenting and feeling for the other person.
But this week, I put my phone down, was interested in what someone was saying, and tried to listen.
I know it's obvious, but it worked. Not only did I feel better about my friendship with this person, but it meant a lot to them. He loved that I would sit and listen and empathize with him. I learned that people like people that will be interested in them. People also like people that are excited about things they're excited about.
Relationships with other people mean a lot to me. I want to keep the friends I have and become better friends with them. Sometimes we get busy, and it's easy to let those friendships slip. But it doesn't take long to take time to listen. And it does wonders.
What did I take away from this? I need to be more invested in actually listening to people. Listening is more that nodding or agreeing, but it's engaging and commenting and feeling for the other person.
3 comments:
Isn't it interesting that simply making an effort to stay focused on one person can make such a difference? I sometimes feel I have created such a large collection of friends from all different parts of my life that it is hard to keep up on all of them. Add in the fact that I am often guilty of not truly listening and giving a half hearted attempt at answering them makes it even harder. Since I realized that, I have also tried the whole put my phone away thing around others and it has really helped me too. It's so much easier to make the time with other people count when we really are focused.
This goes right along with something that I read in one of the books for my project management class. The main idea is that people like people who like them. Part of that is showing genuine interest in them and giving them your attention, even for a few minutes! Sometimes the simple things are the things we forget to do!
I agree, keeping healthy relationships can be such a rewarding thing. It's something that we men don't always realize, but listening makes all the difference.Good job!
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