The Importance of Being An Earnest Listener
From the mouth of an extrovert in a culture where people can barely shut up.
Well, now that you’re here I’ll let you in on a little secret.
Many moons ago, I won the award of “Worst Listener Ever.”
It was a little painful to hear three of the most important people in my life each tell me: “you’re a shitty listener,” but deep down, I kind of knew it was true. Well, not so deep down.
It was glaringly obvious actually.
The good thing is, I didn’t get offended at all. (If there’s one thing I pride myself on, it’s that I can admit all my faults, and this is one of my biggest.)
So, I decided to do a bit of research, and I started with “Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking” by Susain Cain, which irrevocably changed my perspective on personalities, relationships, and my general insight into the world and how things work.
But beyond reading books and articles, I started watching friends who I thought were excellent listeners, noticing why I felt that way about them, and why I loved this trait about them.
