By Loretta Dotson, January 22, 2015 — You would be surprised by how much you can learn by being a listener.
Try to keep an open mind as you listen. I find it exciting to hear the thoughts and ideas of others. To me, [hearing] problems or dilemmas others have experienced and [when] they share with me how they worked it out and avoided a worse situation [is exciting]. It is up to the listener to accept or deny the information. I remember sitting with my great aunt and she told me many stories of incidents that occurred in her early life and how she coped and overcame. She exhibited amazing strength to me. That was called survival. When folks want to confide in you or share a personal story or opinion, try to be a good attentive listener. Sometimes, they will often share, and ask you, “What do you think about that?”
Well, I hope you were listening.