Listen Or Lose

Everyone has two ears and one mouth for a reason. In order to be able to build strong relationships with other people you are meant to talk less and listen more. You cannot learn anything new when you are talking, yet when you listen to other people talk you can learn all types of things including how this person thinks and what makes this person happy. The more you know about someone else the more you can really make them happy. My dad would always say “if moms not happy then no one is happy,” the times when my mom was not happy was when my dad didn’t listen to her. By not listening to others you begin to lose them and when you lose others you eventually lose yourself.

"In order to be able to build strong relationships with other people you are meant to talk less and listen more."

Most relationships end with heartache. You will often hear people arguing about how their spouse treats them or how, “they never listen to me” or “they don’t understand me” all of which can be avoided by developing the habit of listening. The average person does not know how to listen. Humans can speak at about 150 words per minute but listen at 600 words per minute that is why it takes self-discipline to sit there and listen to someone tell you about their day without being side tracked. The average person will either be thinking of all the stuff they can be doing right now or they are thinking about what they will say once you stop talking. Just because you are listening to what I am saying doesn’t mean you’re hearing me. It is not easy to develop the habit of being a great listener but there are many benefits that come from it. You will have deeper relationships with others along with making them feel loved, valued and respected. When someone feels this way because of you, they tend to want to be around you more often. In order to be around you more they cannot help but repay the favor by making you feel loved, valued and respected. So by not listening you both lose and by listening you both win.