Thanksgiving is about spending time with family and friends and is an important time to talk less and listen more. This is hard for me. Typically, I am either talking or waiting to talk. In an age when everybody thinks they have a say in everything, let’s be clear; talking too much is rude. You know it is rude if you wake up in the middle of the night and wish you hadn’t said something. Which, in true confession, I do all the time. If you, too, do this, then maybe it is a clue you may talk more than you listen. A good conversation has equal input.
Learning About Yourself
Like a baller who watches the film after every game, I have learned to reflect after each recording session of my radio talk show. During those first interviews in 2016, I cringed as I listened back to the recordings. I discovered I finished my guest’s sentences, stepped on their words, stole their message, and didn’t practice active listening. Turns out, active listening is hard. It takes focus and concentration.
Soon after learning this about myself, I added this opener to every show as a reminder for me: “To quote The Dalai Lama, ‘When you talk, you are only repeating what you already know. But if you listen, you may learn something new.’”
I have another good quote that I used to say along with the one above: “As Greek Philosopher, Diogenes (Dy-awe-gen-ees) wrote, ‘We have 2 ears and one tongue, so that we may listen more.”
The Act of Listening IS Learning
As family and friends of all persuasions come together in breaking bread, try to learn from listening, get out of your silo, and give thanks that you live in the United States of America, with emphasis on united.
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