I was having a conversation with a friend this morning and I spoke the words….
Remember to be careful to not react to her reaction…
And then I started thinking about the words I had spoken…
I wonder how often we lose the intent of a conversation because we get sidetracked, reacting to a reaction…
I know of times when the conversation that began is very different than the conversation that ends. I can often pinpoint it back to a shift in the conversation when one of us reacted and the other reacted to the reaction…
It is a funny thing to write about….
It seems so obvious…
And yet, it is almost impulsive to react…
I am learning to hit my internal pause button when I feel myself reacting or reacting to a reaction…
I am learning that I can quickly pause and return my focus to the conversation as it was intended…
I have found it helpful to acknowledge that my reaction has taken us to a place we didn’t intend….can we back up and take a different road….
I want to be a good listener in the conversations I enter…
I want to listen with my whole being….
I have a business card by my phone that says….
Listen hard, it is an excellent gift…..
Go and listen well today….to your heart and the hearts of others!
