So, today I decided that this year I wanted to focus on life lessons. This isn't so much to impart my 29 years of wisdom on the world, but really to have something to look back on come 2015. We're all works in progress, so it's nice to document things along the way.
First up: Lesson 1 - Everyone doesn't want your opinion!
This is probably a surprise coming from me because I'm the queen of unsolicited advice, but I've come to realize that everyone doesn't want your opinion. Sometimes people just want to vent. Other times they just want someone to listen as they talk things out for themselves. Sometimes they just want to hear themselves speak lol.
In the past I had the mindset that someone shouldn't talk to me about something unless they were welcoming of my opinion on the matter. While I still believe this, I have started to value the art of listening a bit more.
Sometimes in a conversation I can be chomping at the bit ready to give a diatribe about what I feel, why I think, etc... but really, it's nice to listen and sometimes nobody wants to hear what you have to say! And guess what? It's okay! It doesn't take anything away from my value, opinion, or worth if my 2 cents isn't needed at that particular time. Now, don't start to thinking I'm on the road to be "seen and not heard" because we all know that'd never happen lol... but I guess in short I want to become a better listener.