Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish. Proverbs 18:13
Intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open for knowledge. Proverbs 18:15
One of the most desirable traits we can have as Industrious Women is the ability to listen. Listening is a skill that many people take for granted. The Word of God gives us many pearls of wisdom in the book of Proverbs. In fact, there are 31 chapters in Proverbs, one to read for each day of the month. Proverbs has a lot to say about listening.
Listening is all about input. We must be active listeners for two reasons. First, active listening helps us to weigh a matter before we respond. There is a familiar saying that says seek first to understand rather than to be understood. Most people seek to listen to respond in a defensive way so they can be heard or get their own point across. Seeking to understand what others are saying is an act of selflessness. It requires us to lean in to understand what is being said, versus listening in order to formulate our own response. Active listening helps us to respond with patience, so we don’t respond prematurely or foolishly.
Second, active listening helps us to gain wisdom. One of the most important and underrated ways to invest in ourselves personally and professionally, is to listen to those who have the experience, knowledge, and expertise to add to our journey. It is a mark of maturity to be able to receive wise counsel and learn from others. That comes by way of listening. When we are willing to listen, we can bypass pitfalls and mistakes by learning from the experiences of others. We can also accelerate our growth by learning from the successes of others. As Industrious Women, it is important that we recognize when we are in the presence of someone that can invest in us just by sharing what they know and then being willing to listen to them.
There are some practical ways we can apply the wisdom of being an active listener. One way to demonstrate you are actively listening is to take notes. This can be done in a journal that you keep with you or digitally on your phone. Google and Office 365 are great options because you can access your notes from any device. Jot down things you hear and want to remember from throughout the day. You never know when you will have a conversation with someone that may be unlocking the door to your next opportunity.
Another way to demonstrate active listening is to ask thoughtful questions. People know how closely you are listening by the quality of the questions you ask! I am an educator, and when a student asks, “What are we doing again?” that tells me they weren’t listening! Ask questions that show you are interested in what the other person is saying. Asking thoughtful questions of mentors and more experienced professionals is an excellent way to draw out pearls of wisdom.
As the Word of God shows us in Proverbs, being a good listener is a mark of maturity and wisdom. It’s one of those amazing qualities that few take the time to really cultivate, but most notice and appreciate when they recognize it in others. Let’s take some time this week to focus on being active listeners so that we can move with grace, thoughtfulness, and patience as we interact with others.
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