Do you choose to actively listen to others? In particular, do you listen for opportunities to learn from others and to deeply appreciate what they are saying?
Learning through action
Recently I interviewed for an opportunity to work with an organization I wholly support. When news came back that another person had been selected I had several options for ways I could respond. The one I chose was this.
- I didn’t accept the rejection; instead, I embraced the fact that another person was a better fit.
- I didn’t ask why I wasn’t the one selected to help this organization; instead, I asked what the organization saw as my strengths.
- When I received a response I listened carefully to learn and understand what OTHERS saw as my strengths. These are the skills I can most easily tap into when I’m trying to do good work and create opportunity in the future.
Listening to your energy
Often times the activities of our lives are related to the desires of others. This can be a very direct sort of thing such as doing what your employer asks you to do; or, it can be more subtle such as bending the activities you want to do to better mesh with the needs and desires of your family.
Listen to where your energy is strongest in these situations. Find the pieces of those activities that motivate you, even if it is only a small piece of the larger project. Then, exploit that energy and let it carry you through to the end of the activity.
Now add one more part, listen to other people’s energy. By listening to what energizes the people around you your family, your circle of friends and your organization can begin to make amazing things happen.
The price and the reward
I was fortunate enough to hear Mark Allen speak about his many attempts to win the IronMan Triathlon and how he eventually won it 6 times. He talked about how he failed repeatedly because he wasn’t listening to his energy; he wasn’t giving himself a chance to quiet his mind. Focusing on our where our energy lies, listening closely to that energy, that is where we gain focus and quiet our mind.
Mark told us that for all of the training he had done it wasn’t the training itself that made him a champion. In fact he explained how he had trained harder and longer than his main rival. It was when he finally found the courage to listen to his energy and allow it to carry him through to completion that he realized success.
To get the most out of our lives and our relationships the price we must pay is to listen. By listening to words, actions and energy we can each learn a better way to be together.
