Is it possible to get along with everybody in life? Is it even desirable? What could you do if you had the ability to put yourself in another’s shoes, to experience empathy for the people you deal with in your everyday life and really connect with them, in ways that matter? Why would this be important to you?
One of the top reasons for relationships between people either succeeding or failing is based on the quality of communications between the parties involved. If communication is not treated as important in any relationship, that relationship is likely to be doomed. The ability to communicate is a critical factor in gaining affinity with others in our lives. So what is the ability to communicate? It is the ability to understand another human being, and in turn making yourself understood.
One of the simplest ways to gain an affinity with others is to make eye contact. How many people do we deal with in a day that we barely even look at, and if we do it is a brief glance as our gaze glides on to the next thing, person, distraction – how often we succumb to the tyranny of the newspaper, the television, the mobile phone. I wonder how it would change our experience and enrich our interactions if we look at the people who serve us, whom we serve, whom we spend time with every day at work and even those who live in our homes that we call our family?
One of the greatest compliments you can give to a human being is to give them your full attention and really listen to what they have to say. The part we usually play in most interactions is to listen distractedly while we are busily composing our response in our heads, barely even registering what the person we are talking to is saying. It has been said that we have two ears and one mouth, and we should use them in that proportion!
Who can you connect with in a meaningful way today?
© Copyright Estelle Williams 2011