It's a very different energy when we share in a communal way with a quiet sense of of give and take as opposed to thrusting our ideas and what we have to say on others. The latter attitude might come from a lifetime of not feeling heard, and might be rooted in fear. Perhaps we feel as if we must push and jockey for position and time and attention or our point of view will not have a chance.
But it does, even if we remain silent. When we finish other people's sentences, when we answer questions that have not even been completely asked, when we interrupt, we lose credibility and effect. Better to listen and wait. Better to consider. Better to be responsive, not reactive. Better to trust that there is time and space to explain the way we see things and that we do not have to speak loudly and aggressively in order to be heard.
I listen completely to others and do not jump the gun in order to share my perspective. I relax and trust that there is time enough for all that needs to be said.
