the art of LISTENING

Can you believe this?!  Me calling LISTENING an art, like I know what I'm talking about.  Nakssss naman o!  ;))

I find it cool to be acquainted, more so, to be friends with people who listen very well.  To me, it's a rare talent, and also a skill which only very few people master.  I honestly have a lot to work on at this department.  There are times when I find it really hard to concentrate on what the other person is saying because my mind is busy concocting solutions to various world problems (i.e. knock-knock jokes, anong masarap ulamin, magkabalikan pa kaya si Derek at Angelica).  I nod or smile and occasionally say ah, but my mind is somewhere far off.  Tsk tsk, wag ako tularan! 

People who listen well are mostly smart.  I found no statistics to back me up on this.  It's only my observation, so don't quote me, but if you really want to, please put 'Rodil, 2012'.  Gaaaah, that would be so cool!  Mwehehe.  Why I said these people are smart, these are my observations.  One, if you really are a good listener, you learn about lots of things.  While if you are busy talking, not bothering to hear what others have to say, you only get to master your story.  What good will it do you?  Nada!!  A good listener becomes knowledgeable about so many things, that he'd know how to sort worthy information from shit.  

My observation also says that good listeners are good judge of characters.  When people listen, they not only learn about what the other person is saying, they also get a glimpse of what kind of person he/she is, their perspective and how they'd react to different situations.  They are not quick to judge and discern better than most of us.  And because of this, I could say that good listeners are also trustworthy people.  They have just the right level of confidence and understanding that enables them to make good decisions.  At this point in my life, I personally find that I could trust good listeners way better than good talkers.    

Don't you feel special when someone remembers a story or an idea you told them a long time ago?  I have this friend who would always go into hiding; you'd meet her just a few times every year.  But when we find the chance to catch up, she remembers the littlest things - my book recommendations, my pet peeves, my chismis, or my crazy ideas to make this world a better place.  It never fails to fascinate me to learn how much she pays attention.  

So to you, who read on 'til the end of this post, THANK YOU for listening to my humble one-billion-worth opinion. :p  Seriously, it means a lot to me.  Matagal pa ang New Year but how about we all make 'to listen better' our resolution.  Show love and appreciation by paying attention and by listening to what the other person has to say.  I bet your pwet it will create wonders!  :)