If you don't listen how will you share an honest answer? Instead of always telling others what to do, instead of always telling yourself what to do, maybe just listen and you will find the answer. Listen to your emotions, not just to the words you say. When you start to listen you might start to identify patterns: notice what makes you smile; what makes you nervous; what excites you; what hurts. When you start to listen to yourself you might start to understand what makes you tick, why you avoid certain things, why you make certain mistakes, why you believe in certain limitations. Listening is the first step to honestly understanding who you are and why you do what you do.
I will listen to myself carefully this week and hopefully I will have some insights to share with you soon! Listen to yourself and see what you notice.
Whenever I think about listening I have to think about Ernesto Sirolli who shares some very funny stories about the importance of listening when it comes to international development and entrepreneurship. You may not be starting your own tomato farm or trying to solve the crisis of horse manure in Manhattan but you probably need to start listening too! As Ernesto Sirolli says, listening is VERY HARD to do!