Active Listening

What’s the most underrated life skill?

There will be a quiz at the end of this trite little essay. So stick with me.

It seems like the most obvious answer in the world, but I believe one of the most underrated skills is the ability to listen. The ability to listen as a skill set or you’re not formulating an answer, but you’re actively listening to what is being said to you.

 I had a friend named Michael who passed away recently and he was a special friend. He had the ability to be present in every conversation you had with him. He listened without judgment. You knew he had your attention because he stared you right in the eyes.

And there’s a fine art skill of carrying that over to relationship. Relationships are filled with nuances, and multiple motivations that are not apparent to each other.

So listen to a partner it’s best to drop the resentment and not listen to respond, but actively listen. The rest comes a little easier.