Do What Great People Do – Listen

Since childhood, whenever we have asked our parents that why do we humans have two ears and just one mouth, we have received the same old reply that God wants you to speak less and listen more. I am sure many of us discarded this theory as baseless, as one made up to answer silly questions kids ask. Also, countless times we have used the quote “Speech is silver, Silence is golden” in our projects and on our dashboards without really sparing detail to the actual meaning behind the quote. Well as people say, everything starts making sense when we grow up, I guess we could say the same about these quotes too.

Before I enter into the mainstream topic, I wish to pique the interest of my readers by taking them down memory lane because I am positive that nostalgia will pull people to continue reading as it is something they will relate to (Well that’s a pro writer tip, thank me later XD).

We also had these reading, writing and listening ability tests in school, didn’t we? All of us waded quiet effortlessly through the reading and writing tasks but we were often caught off guard when it came to the listening tasks. The teacher’s story felt like one endless voyage filled with all goofy stuff which no one would care to pay detailed attention to. Yes, we have all been in this boat and now when we actually have to paddle towards the shore of reality, we have no option but to accept that yes, listening is one of the most indispensable skill of or rather duty in our lives.

Speech is a unique ability we humans possess and the art of listening is an ability too. It is not a complimentary commodity that tails speech wherever it goes. It is a separate, fully independent ability that we must exercise in the same or preferably lesser proportion than we exercise that of speech.

We are always so tempted to speak our mind without any interruption, like an endless cassette irrespective of whether we make any sense or not. All of us do that, intentionally, subconsciously or simply out of habit. Everyone wants to speak, speak and speak. It does not matter whether anyone cares to listen or not, all we want is the satisfaction of blurting words out of our mouth. This may sound rude, yet it leads us to the cliche dialogue – truth is bitter. And may I add, it is healthy too.

We want to be heard. Accepted. But who will listen if all of us speak? How will we make ourselves heard if no one wants to hear? I am presenting a very logical argument, ain’t I? I know this topic has come to the forefront previously, yet I feel the need of it being addressed more often, more effectively and most importantly, in its raw form.

As they say, it takes two hands to clap, analogically it takes two to discuss. It takes two to take any matter forward. Let me ask you a bizarre question. Have you ever faced the wall of your living room and spoken to it? Well if you are a genius, you might have XD, but many might find this illogical. If you don’t speak to a wall, why do you do the very same thing to people? Badgering them to listen continuously to you?

It is time we realize that listening more is equivalent to gaining more. When we speak, we invest and when we listen, we earn. Before we contribute to a matter by speaking, it is vital to listen to what others have to say. It is important to be all ears first, if you want the same in return. Please do speak up, but only when it’s your turn. Speaking out of turn increases your chances of not being heard and decreases the value of your words.

When you listen, not only do you give people a chance to speak but you also give yourself a chance to contemplate on whether what you believe is along the lines of rationality or not. It gives you an opportunity to reconsider and restructure what you wish to say, in turn allowing you to voice out absolutely meritorious matter.

Being a voracious speaker is good but being a tenacious listener is good too. Only when you will listen, will people listen to you. It is a two-way street and you cannot pass by without stopping at the signal of being audient, unless you wish to skip the signal and prod yourself into a guilt trap. You can’t really escape listening because it is quite a crucial activity we need to take part in life. So why not enjoy it in its full bloom rather than waiting for it to wither?

The more you listen, the more you unearth the ways of the world and the more you find ways to embrace them. To speak more, you must listen even more. Always stick to this pin of reality.

Before I wind up, I would like to touch upon another matter. When I say – speak less, please do understand that I am in no way implying you to not speak at all. I am asking you to stay considerate, not silent. Do speak up, don’t muffle your thoughts and don’t let those burning questions you have in your mind engulf you. Speak up and subsequently listen up too.

Well not at the end of the day, at the beginning of the day it is all about a steadfast balance you wish to establish and stick to. It is not a very difficult art though. Just tune your mind to listen more and your mouth will automatically know when to switch its ignition on and off.

So that was it folks! I hope this blog finds you in the best of health and induces some value in your life, encouraging you to steer the vehicle of your life towards the most incredible of paths.

Thank you for reading and thanks in advance for listening to it through your heart, after you implement it!