How Often Do You Listen to Yourself?

Ssshhhh!

My business roots are in product development. To make irresistible product, you have to be close to the people who buy and use what you’re making. To be close to anyone, you have to listen to what they’re saying.

Social media starts, moves, and fully connects through listening.

Listening is marketing. It connects us to customers, clients, readers, critics, innovators, and folks we meet for the first time. It takes an open mind to listen and an open heart to hear.

Who’s Worth Listening To?
Everyone.
Some of us get that. Some of us forget that.
But most of us don’t listen enough to one person in particular.

Do You Listen to Yourself?

Doctor, marketer, product person, human being know thyself.

In order to be accountable and be present in a conversation, we need to know ourselves. We can’t share our values if we don’t know what they are or why we hold them. We can’t respond naturally, if we don’t know where stand when we’re alone with ourselves. That’s the essence of character and personal brand.

So do you take time to listen to

• what you’re thinking? Reflecting on what we hear and coming to our own thoughts, decisions, and conclusions makes a solid personal platform for filtering the noise from the signal.
• to your hesitations? The daily tasks of navigating the world and responding to other folks’ ideas can easily take us from our personal path. Deeply knowing where you’re going IS irresistibly attractive.
• to what you’re saying? Do you say the same phrases often? Do you argue for why your problems can’t be solved? Do you say good things about who you are or do you flinch when you talk about yourself? What is your word choice or tone of voice revealing?

When we take time to listen to ourselves, listening to other people comes easier. We’re not waiting to be heard.

No apps necessary. Just time focused in another direction … reflection.

How often do you listen to yourself?

I make connections.
–ME “Liz” Strauss
This post was updated in July 2016 by Jane Boyd & Liz Strauss. It has been listed as a suggested resource in a recent GeniusShared newsletter article by Liz entitled “Owning Your Voice”.