'Sometimes I wish I would have never left so I would have never known.' A dear friend, originally from Australia and now living in Germany, recently said this to me.
For me, it clicked. There are days when I am so grateful and amazed that I do know. I know what it is like to live outside of the country I grew up in. Then there are other days when I wish I didn't. And even other days where I have no idea what I know. I recently read a new way to define the commonly used acronym ASAP.
ASAP, understood literally, really means as soon as you possibly can. But somewhere along the way, we've forgotten this. Today, often when we read ASAP, written in all caps, we forget the actual meaning. We read it and think: FIRE. URGENT. NOW. DELETE. Since it seems we no longer really understand the literal meaning of ASAP, what if we changed it? Consider: As Slowly As Possible What's the rush, really? I don't know about you, but the rush and hectic of the traditional ASAP may very well have gotten me somewhere, but sometimes I question where and if it was really worth it. PS - A great book about slow is In Praise of Slow by Carl Honore. I recently read an article by Tori Rodriguez in Scientific American Mind about how to use your ears to influence people.
'Practice listening without thinking ahead to what you're going to say when someone stops talking.' In a letter to the editor, a reader added her own thoughts: 'Perhaps assume you will be asking a question and trust that the 'right' question will come to the surface.' Ask the question. Listen. Trust they have the answer. Most people simply want to be seen and heard. Do this and you will build trust and respect. I suspect that the most basic and powerful way to connect to another person is to listen. Just listen. Perhaps the most important thing we ever give each other is our attention. And especially if it's given from the heart. When people are talking, there's no need to do anything but receive them. Just take them in. Listen to what they're saying. Care about it. - Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D. Consider the many types of listening which you may be doing or not doing, aware of or unaware of:
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Developing Cultural Fluency & Intelligence
Developing Cultural Fluency & Intelligence