Yakadoodle

It has been a personal objective of mine for several years to be (and become) a better listener.  Progress is being made, but not as quickly as I'd like.

From that learning journey toward being a more powerful listener, here a few observations that continue to shape my growth in this area:

• Listening, counterintuitively, seems to be a more powerful tool of persuasion than talking.
• Talking makes me tired while listening makes me think.
• Deep listening is a very difficult skill to hone.
• Talking is more likely to convey arrogance, condescension, rudeness, devaluation, and pressure than does listening.
• Listening exposes me much more to the thinking and wisdom of others than does my talking.
• Listening seems to make me a better servant, a better friend, a better husband, a better leader, and, yes, even a better talker (not a more prolific talker; just a more effective talker).

The journey continues.