We have all had moments of not-listening. And we’ve all been on the receiving end of that feeling–someone isn’t listening to us. It happens a lot, for lots of reasons.
The question to ask is why. Am I not listening because I’m preoccupied and thinking of something else?
Or do I not want to hear what’s being said to me?
If it’s the first, you can apologize, get present, and ask the person talking to you to repeat themselves.
If it’s the second, why don’t you want to hear it? What challenge does listening present? What is at risk if you take in this person’s words? Are you worried that something you hear may nudge you to make a change, to take action, to have to do something differently?
Listening is powerful because it makes us available to the world around us.
