Are you a good listener?

Do you hate to see some people coming your way?—possibly because they tend to dominate the conversation? Maybe we each should consider how many times we use the word “I” in the middle of a conversation with our friends or family. We all have an unconscious habit of manipulating the conversation to express OUR opinion, OUR advice on a subject, or OUR “words of wisdom.” When you’re standing around with several of your friends, LISTEN to the conversation, and see how many times each person interjects their personal comment using the word “I.” After a while, it seems almost funny.

Most of the time we jump in because we want to help someone or make others laugh. Basically, we want others to love us. But, I believe the most loved people in the world are those who rarely use the word “I.” They’re people who actually LISTEN to others first. They ask questions about a friend’s situation, or problems, or family. If we would cut out four-fifths of the word “I” in our conversations with others, we could really HEAR what others are saying. And, who knows? … We might really hear something worth listening to.  🙂