As a busy business owner, I sometimes fill my schedule to the brim - with barely enough time in between tasks.
And so it was this past Friday when I quickly showered after a long drive home and rushed to the grocery store to pick up some items for a Lions Club event later that evening. As I was rushing through the aisles, grabbing the necessary items, I was stopped in my tracks by an inquisitive set of siblings. “How come your hair is wet”, the first brother asked. I had barely responded when the other brother asked, “How far away is your house?” As the inquiry continued, Mom was quick to apologize for the questions.
I let her know they were exactly what I needed in that moment!! A reminder of the fact that when we are young, we don’t hesitate to ask questions- even of perfect strangers. There is an innocent honesty about the questions of a child!
Can you imagine how I might have responded if an adult would have asked about my hair? Something like ‘mind your own business might have popped into my brain. But when an innocent child asks a question (or 20)- we do not feel the same judgment we often add to questions posed by adults.
It’s the perceived judgment that jacks with our brains and basically ruins the way we receive feedback or questions.
Unfortunately, our inability to remove that perception makes it very difficult to grow or work on the areas in our life that need adjusting. Our inability to remove the judgment also makes us less likely to ask questions of others. In other words- once we lose that childlike innocence - it’s rare for us to ask questions or receive critical feedback.
That Friday in the store, two beautiful young souls asked several innocent questions- I responded as a child- just answering the questions as honestly as they were asked. It felt great and I absolutely LOVED the thoughts that filled my mind afterward.
Kids can teach us so much about the way we interact - getting back to basics and dropping the judgment or perception of being judged is a great lesson.
I finished my shopping, got home, dried and fixed my hair then headed for the event- more intent on both asking and receiving questions by/from anyone- even the adults!
Learning to listen begins with knowing ourselves!
Have you completed a DISC Personality Assessment? It’s a great place to start!!
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