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active listening has always been a problem for me. before coming to recovery i truly believed that no one had anything of substance to offer and my efforts were to create the perfect come back to what they were saying rather than listening to what they were saying, and of course the last thing i wanted to hear was something that would demand time, effort or an emotional response of any kind from me.
early recovery was all about looking good, so i would formulate in my head pearls of wisdom and insight to share when i got the chance.
as i progressed down this road, i actually started to listen to what was being said in both meetings and my personal relationships. i actually learning how to be present in conversation and respond to them appropriately. is this easy? not hardly, i still have a character defect or three running around, and when i start to become judgmental, i often miss what is being said, slipping into my old behaviors.
does this mean i should just give up? no this means that i need to do my best to try and be better at it at the next opportunity.
∞ DT ∞