I have to confess; I am bad at listening. However, I have observed an interesting aspect of listening, that I think is crucial for all of us to keep in mind. When someone shares something with us, it is not always the case that our friends want us to provide a solution for it immediately. And, worst of all, if they don’t comply, then they have no further right to share the same issue with us anymore – as it proves that they did not listen to us so why to chat about the same topic anymore. Sometimes, our colleagues, family, and friends want us to listen. They know that they will figure it out by themselves. They need a friend and offering a listening ear assures them that they have a friend.

With this context, I learned a great lesson from Robin Sharma. In one of his videos, he said, place a finger on your mouth for a clue to yourself to stay quiet while someone is speaking. I practice it. 

Keep in mind if people need a bit of advice, then they will ask for it. Otherwise, they are sharing something with a friend. Insisting on fixing it right then and there will cause them to stop confiding in you. Please offer a great listening ear to the ones around you. And, yes, this advice is applicable first of all to me 🙂