Control, It's all about you.

There's only one thing you can control, and that is yourself. Once you understand that concept, you will be much more at peace in and with the world around you. Life is perceived as a peripheral experience; our emotions make life a personal experience. By understanding ourselves and learning to work with our natural emotions, we can and do become increasingly understanding and empathetic to the people and events around us. We are better able to handle ourselves within situations with a sense of peace by knowing we are in control of ourselves. And by allowing others to be themselves, it becomes easier to identify what kind of person they really are.

To listen to someone speak, without your personal filters glazing over their words, will allow anyone to see the reality the speaker lives in. Our preconceived ideas of another person will never even show up. We can take them as they present themselves. Listening without prejudice, is the dominant element.

The act of listening without thinking about a response is the prejudice to which referring to. Listening to the words spoken and thinking about the meaning of those words, both individually and as a whole, will help you understand the person speaking and the subject being addressed.

Many of us are more interested in responding than comprehending to what has been said. It is because of this, many of us miss the essence of the subject or idea being expressed. As we teach ourselves to listen we will also learn how to better express our personal ideas on any subject. Listening (and reading) are two of the best ways we can learn to express ourselves in a superior fashion. But listening is the only way to really learn about the person, any person.

Understanding a person will help you decide how you wish to proceed. Or if you want to proceed at all. You only have control over one thing, you. Make your decisions with all the tools you have; the ear being one of the most powerful.

Peace be with you always.

by David E. Gonzales