Deep Listening: The power of the question

We were traveling and my hands were cold. 

I decided to buy a sleek pair of caramel colored gloves.  It wasn’t that they were all that expensive.  It was that I finally decided to buy them.  And no sooner did I slip them onto my hands, that we bumped into each other and hot coffee spilled all over one of the gloves.  I got upset.  I hurt his feelings.   In the moment, I have no idea why I reacted that way.  We were supposed to be enjoying ourselves and having a good time.  And for the most part we were.  But, for all the good feelings of a dream trip, it is still stressful to manage.  Making sure you don’t miss trains and planes, you have enough money to cover everything, and you have people counting on you to be places on time.    I’m pretty sure the stress was building up despite all the goodness we were experiencing. 

It’s not the absence of conflict, it’s the ability to resolve it. 

It’s not the absence of negative emotions, it’s the ability to recognize them, work through them.

It’s not the absence of a challenge, experience, or feeling, it’s the ability to restore, repair, work through it .

What if we could take it one step further?

It’s not the absence of conflict, it’s how we engage the conversation.

It’s not the absence of negative emotions, it’s our willingness to engage positive emotions, too.

It’s not the absence of a challenge, it’s the power of the questions we’re asking.

In this episode:

• Learn why the questions we ask are so important to the actions we take.

• Open up more space for understanding, growth, emotions, and conversation.

• Embrace self-compassion to enhance your own relationships and learning experiences.