Do you listen?

Who doesn’t? Anyone with ear listen. But do you really listen to what other peoples saying? Are we really there with whole heartedly? Or you were just physically there, or were you just staring at the lips of others moving and your mind was drifting away?

Did it ever happen to you? Some parents would say they are there for their kids, but how often do we see parents playing with their phones and let kids playing by themselves? My younger brother has a 2-year-old son. I heard from my mom that they usually give the son an iphone and get him to play the games by himself. Yes, playing game may help to develop the young brain, but does it help to build the bond and listen to the real need of the kid? Sometimes, kids whine, but do we really try to find out the real reason of their behaviors? Do they want attention? Are they hungry? Are they bored? Are they sick? Etc.

My mom is visiting me, but sometimes, I don’t really listen to what she was saying, I let her go along by herself, and try to react to it once in a while esp. when I was in between of something. No wonder my mom was always eager to wait until our family back in China get up to have video call with them.

Maybe we would say, there is not much to say, they are parents, we don’t have a lot things in common, but think about it, they won’t live forever, financial aid is important, but not as much as you being there to support them, and listen to them. They have their own needs, desires, happiness and sadness, they want someone to share their feeling with, this is more important if they lost their other significant half. One day, I was buying some cosmetics for my mom. The store staff whom was helping us said, “cherish the time with your mom, you won’t really know what it feels like when she’s gone. I just lost my mom in April, I feel like everything’s gone with her!” Let’s not leave the same regret as her and cherish our time together and be there for them.

When you are at work, as a leader, do you listen to the need and problems of your team members? You may have thought that you listened, but is it really what they are asking for? Let’s do not take for granted that you know what they are thinking, you don’t, each individual’s different. And even every day is different too. You may not know maybe they have a hard start that date, you may not know they may have some private emergencies, maybe their pets are sick, etc, We are human, we may still seem to be the same person from appearance, but our mood and mind changes with external environment and the situation we are in. Try to listen and understand exactly what they want, and try to offer help as much as you can.

We always say, treat other people like you want to be treated. If you want others to be there for you and listen to your real need, let’s listen carefully, be patient and with whole heartedly.

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