The hidden secret to building a loving relationship with anyone is listening. Remember the old adage, "You're made with two ears and one mouth for a reason"? I will add a third ear to this.
In our fast-paced, technology-supported lives, real listening is becoming a lost art. It also explains why so many people feel hurt and defensive. When people don’t feel heard and understood, even simple communication can disrupt into a full-blown battle—or prolonged silence.
We are all guilty of poor listening skills from time to time (e.g., interrupting, assuming what someone really means, thinking about your response while someone is speaking, zoning out, or purposely refusing to pay attention). The key is to make a genuine connection by listening from your heart and using active listening skills (e.g., fully tuning into the person, noticing body language, feeling their feelings, and repeating what you’ve heard to allow for any correction and increase understanding).
Notice the word “ear” is hidden in the word heart. Keep practicing the art of listening from three ears (your heart’s ear and your mind’s ears) and watch how love grows.
Inspiration for the Day: “The first duty of love is to listen.” –Paul Tillich
Note: This is an ongoing series to help provide support during these challenging times. These daily readings are part of an overall book on balance, which includes 12 essentials for maintaining balance to support resilience and your best self. The 12 essentials include mind, body, love, service, self, family, intimacy, purpose, environment/living space, nature, social relations, and spirit. This series is sharing 30 days of lessons about love. It will examine multiple aspects of love and provide knowledge and inspiration for hearts to heal and love to flow. It is designed as a daily reader to allow time to reflect, process and incorporate.
Very wise advice and it’s So good and important for all of us to remember and revisit these skills!
Posted by: Jeanne Harrington | 10 April 2020 at 06:00 PM