Understanding People is in Listening to Them

“The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them.” -Ralph Nichols

Wrong Number Miracle:
The day before Thanksgiving, Lucy Crutchfield left a message on her daughter’s answering machine. The despair was evident in her voice. Crutchfield owed a mortgage payment on her home, but her daughter wasn’t even able to afford food for the coming week. Crutchfield left her a message saying that she would send money for the groceries — even though that meant she wouldn’t have enough to pay her monthly mortgage bill. But as it turned out, she had dialed a wrong number, leaving her heartbreaking message on a stranger’s machine. Instead of getting her daughter, she got Saenz, a real estate agent from the San Diego suburb of Tierrasanta.

“I know right now we are all struggling,” Saenz said. “Lucy on the phone, she sounded so desperate for her daughter, it broke my heart.”

Saenz did the only thing she could think of — she called Crutchfield back and said not to worry. Crutchfield would pay the mortgage, and Saenz would handle the groceries. [Read entire story here]

Be The Change:
The next time you hear someone’s despair, try to really listen and see what you can do to reach out to them.

Master the Art of Listening

“So when you are listening to somebody, completely, attentively, then you are listening not only to the words, but also to the feeling of what is being conveyed, to the whole of it, not part of it.” -Jiddu Krishnamurti

Master the Art of Listening:
No wonder listening is an undervalued art. Research shows that we speak at a rate of about 125 words per minute, yet we have the capacity to listen to approximately 400 words per minute. So what are we doing with that extra space in our minds when someone else is talking? Are we really listening? This article offers seven pointers on how to sharpen our ability as listeners. [Read more here]

Be The Change:
Try honing your listening skills this week with some of the pointers shared in the article above.

~~Reprinted with permission from DailyGood.Org – Submitted by Patrick Koppula

Kindness ideas

Below is a list from HelpOthers.org suggesting 7 different kindness ideas: the greatest gifts to give.

1. Gift of service: donate to a cause, as a holiday gift for your best friend.

2. Gift of affection: be generous with hugs, kisses and pats on the back.

3. Gift of laughter: clip cartoons, share funny stories.

4. Gift of a written note: send a ‘thank you’ note, write a letter to an old friend.

5. Gift of a compliment: a simple ‘you look great today’, a sincere ‘thank you for a wonderful meal’.

6. Gift of listening: no interrupting, no daydreaming, no responding, just listening.

7. Gift of solitude: spend some time in silence, help others spend some time in silence.

My thoughts and your thoughts #5

Quote #62, My Thoughts and YOUR thoughts:
I love Quotes. I love them because they make me think. What does the quoter mean? Why did he/she write this? Is there a message to get through to the reader/the world? What did YOU initially think when you read it?

Here goes blog quote #62….

“Never argue with a fool. Someone watching may not be able to tell the difference.”
-unknown-

I found this a bit comical. The more I thought about it the more it made sense though.

Why have an arguement with someone that doesn’t want to listen, already has an agenda, or isn’t going to change their opinion? No matter what the conversation, nothing good will come out of it. A dead end street, with no where to turn around. Read more

National Day of Listening

The most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention … A loving silence often has far more power to heal and to connect than the most well-intentioned words. -Rachel Naomi Remen

National Day of Listening:
One of the largest oral history projects of its kind, the non-profit, Story Corps, has over the years enabled tens of thousands of everyday people to record the life stories of family and friends, because they believe that everybody’s story matters and every life counts. This year, the organization has declared November 28, 2008 the first annual National Day of Listening Read more

Truly listening

“It takes two to speak the truth – one to speak and another to hear.” -Thoreau

Conversing With Kids On Ethics:
“A year or so ago, I visited an excellent independent school to do some work with its faculty and parents. Read more

The Gift of Your Undivided Attention:

Active Listening Heals Read more