Are You Really Listening?

Have you ever noticed that sometimes people misunderstand the things you say? No matter how hard you try they just keep on getting the wrong message. I had an incident like this today. The woman was a pleasant enough individual, but she seemed to have a defensive attitude, so it didn’t matter how much work I put into forming my words, she still jumped to the wrong conclusion, most of the time before I even finished speaking. Later I reflected on this in my journal and realised I wasn’t the one with the communication problem. This woman was not very good at listening. Perhaps she needed to read about the Seven Deadly Sins of (Not) Listening.

Not listening is something I’m sure we’ve all been guilty of at one time or another. Make a point of listening more keenly than usual just for one day. Note in your journal everything you can hear from where you sit to write. Remind yourself throughout the day to tune into the sounds around you. Focus on limiting the things you say. Be open to receiving sounds and words from others instead of filling up the air with your own sounds.

Turn off the radio or music you normally have blaring. I think it was Julia Cameron who suggested in her book The Artist’s Way an entire week of no reading, radio, TV or internet. While one week may be a bit extreme, one day couldn’t possibly hurt. Write about your experience in your journal. What did you hear? What did you discover? What did people have to say when you weren’t jumping in with your comments every few moments? Work on listening as a habit and write your discoveries in your journal.

Please share any thoughts about this journal writing prompt in the comments section below.

Heather