How To Listen To People: An Interesting Story

True listening is a fundamental life skill — if you don't have it, you won't be able to understand people and what motivates them. How are you going to learn about people's desires if you're unwilling to listen? 

Those who struggle to listen are too concerned with themselves. They're too much in their heads or they think of themselves as being more interesting than other people. That couldn't be further from the truth — all people are interesting because they have their own stories. 

All people have something to say about their lives. All it takes is the willingness to listen. That is how you learn more about your fellow human being: by developing the capacity to listen carefully about anything the other person has to say. 

I had an enjoyable moment with a client at my job. He came to Romania from Holland. As he started to talk, he open himself up to me and told me his story. After a while, I noticed that people love to talk about their lives. He revealed to me that he's feeling wonderful in Romania and that he likes the country even more than his native land. I was stunned! I was impressed by the way he spoke to me. 

I'll never forget that conversation and as a consequence, I will always open myself up to people and listen carefully to them. I have a lot to learn about their lives and maybe someday, I'll be writing a book about their experiences.