Isn’t it true that – at some stage – we are all guilty of not listening? We have all experienced talking to someone who is clearly not listening, even when they are looking directly at us. Do we tune out? We attempt to multi-task between “listening”, texting or watching TV; that inevitably means that we are not listening when others are talking to us.

Does this sound familiar?

The Art of Listening is, in fact, a skill. That is actually good news, because it means that we can learn to listen – and be present – when the person is talking to us. And, it may be useful to know some of the reasons why we don’t listen. Here are few of the more common ones:

• the person you are speaking to would rather do the talking – their need is greater right now;
• Distraction. Imagine this: we can talk at 200-250 words per minute but think at 300-350. It is very easy then, when we are talking, for the other person to get distracted by their own thoughts, rehearsing in their mind what they want to say, and waiting for a gap in the conversation to get their point across;
• the topic simply does not interest them; or
• an emotional response could be triggered in them around the topic and they are lost in their own thoughts, or attempting to control their reaction towards you.

Do any of these ring true for you? Would you like to learn to be more present in a situation and really listen – and read when others aren’t – and how to manage that for yourself?

We have one mouth and two ears; therefore the gold is in listening twice as much as we speak.

Kind regards,

Marléne.

And what if the fairy godmother whispering to you, that voice you are hearing, was actually your wisest, smartest version of yourself?

Maybe, she would be saying, this National Woman’s month:

“Stop treating yourself as an afterthought. Eat delicious food, walk in the sunshine, jump in the ocean. Speak the truth you are carrying in your heart like a hidden treasure. Be silly, be kind, be weird. There is no time for anything else.”

And gentlemen, if the voice is coming to you, you may hear it reminding you to respect the women in your life because:

“You can feel her innocence in the form of a daughter, her care in the form of a sister. You can feel her warmth in the form of a friend and her passion in the form of a beloved. You can feel her dedication in the form of a wife, her divinity in the form of a mother and her blessing in the form of a grandmother.”

Ladies, stand up, today and every day as you speak your truth. Gentlemen, stand alongside the ladies in your life and allow them to speak their truth.

Kind regards,

Marléne.

Imagine a blank canvas. Create a bird’s eye view of what your life looks like right now. Does it reflect all of the “have to’s” and not so much of the “want to’s”? What if you had the freedom to paint a life of passion and excitement?!

Does that seem impossible and out of reach? What if your reality could change?

How do you get there? Let me help you explore the journey, to reach and acknowledge that you could be living a life filled with excitement and joy, and doing the things you are passionate about while still paying the bills…

If you would like to paint a different picture, we can work through the obstacles together to take the steps to live in that picture actively, daily. Speak to me, then, if this is where you find yourself now and, together, we can co-create a way to remove those obstacles.

Kind regards,

Marléne