Social Awkwardity

Mind. Body. Spirit.

One of my favorite public figures posted a Snapchat story yesterday answering some questions. Someone asked her, “How did you get so smart?”. Her answer struck a chord with me and turned my commute home into one of those “How did I just get home” situations. You know, the ones where you’re so buried in a thought tunnel, you subconsciously guide a 4,000lb, metal death machine up, down and around busy highways…successfully…with no recollection of what actually happened the last 45 minutes?

Ah, but I digress.

“How did you get so smart?”

She responded that she wasn’t smart. Smarts are something you’re born with. She felt she was wise (And I would agree, because I’m more than mildly obsessed with her and everything that comes out of her mouth is pure gold). So, she rephrased the question…”How did I get so wise?”

Three things… She listens to herself. She listens to others. She reads books.

I’ve been on the journey of learning to really listen to myself for a minute so I’m not going to focus on that point. I want to focus on “listens to others” part. This is something I haven’t really done properly in the past. Of course, I listen. That’s not the problem. The problem is I’m a natural fixer. It’s like an upper! I listen to people to find a solution for them, not to really hear them.

In some cases this is why I’m the confidant. In some cases this is why I’m not. In all cases, it comes from a good place. So I don’t want to beat myself up for it and fall into a negative rut about what is naturally me. I just have to continually work to adjust my way of listening. Always hear them. After that, I may or may not be invited to help “fix”.

I’ve come to notice that a more positive self-awareness directly affects my ability to listen well to others. It’s very interesting how interconnected the mind, body and spirit really are.

Hear people today. It’ll change you.

-A

OH, AND BOOKS! She is absolutely right about books! Read books, people. Read all the books! They make you wise!