Listen

I've been thinking a lot today about which areas of loving-kindness I most need to improve on. It affects every area of life, every time there is an interaction with any other human being, and even my relationship with myself, but if there is one area that I could most use improvement in, it is listening with full attention.

Giving someone my full attention when they are talking to me, not being distracted by the computer or my cell phone or my own thoughts about other things (including what I'm going to say next) is something that needs improvement in my life. Too often I've been distracted or not listening when a friend needed someone to talk to, or when a loved one needed my attention.

For the first 10 days of this month, my focus will be to increase my attentiveness in conversations with other people, to show people loving-kindness by giving them my attention when we're talking, and to decrease my level of distraction.

"I listen with full attention" is a wonderful affirmation/mantra/thought to carry with me daily through the next 10 days. 

Can you imagine how it would transform a business if all of the employees practiced this with every interaction with customers and clients? What it could do for family relationships? How it could improve friendships?

Reminder: loving-kindness also means being quick to forgive yourself and others when they fail, and we will from time to time make mistakes.