Today, for the first time I experienced an honest burst of anger from someone that I hold dear to my heart. My usual self would have gotten defensive about the topic; was not the case this time. As I reflect back on the conversation with a true sense of introspection, two things stand out – first, my deep love for the individual and the second a sense of respect for the feelings and emotion of the person in front of me.
Very often that not, we tend not to listen, even to the ones who are our near and dear – reason; we take them and their feelings for granted. We tend to shy away from potentially difficult conversations expecting the worst. The worst in terms of being cornered, egos being hurt, an assumption that the person in front of us is speaking to show us in poor light or even pin a blame.
Coming back to my conversation, I was completely at fault – however unintentional it was. The fact of the matter was, I acted irresponsibly without consideration of the other person’s situation. My initial reaction was to justify my action; a natural human instinct. As I sat there listening to what was being told, I quickly understood and took responsibility for my actions. The result – a completely honest conversation about a situation that could have blown out of proportions due to foolish ego or an unwillingness to listen.
My key takeaway from this experience – listen, empathize and drop unnecessary ego to engage in a conversation. Enter in to a conversation with an open mind and a true intent to hold an honest conversation.
Of course, it is also my duty to respect and align my actions to the outcome of the conversation. A responsibility that I must take seriously. I am sure that time will tell that aspect of my promise.
Until next time, tune in to our podcasts that will explore the facets of this blog and much more.