A Life Lesson Amidst Chaos

Funny how life has a way of teaching us things during the most anxious times of our lives. The start of the school year is only a few days away and I have been running around like a chicken without a head making sure everything is order for all the responsibilities that will entertain my schedule this semester. With that mind set, it doesn't shock me that I have been relying on my emotion to make sense of the world, and its speed for that matter, around me. I have felt like I can cry at the drop of a dime, get annoyed and create some ridiculous stories in my head to make sense of various situations. What a roller coaster right? One that I created for myself. I'm moving faster than my brain functions and emotions are the only thing I can hold on to.

While this may be intricacies of how my mind works, the impact that it has on others is duly noted. Just because I'm uber-sensitive and thereafter creative with developing stories that explain situations, doesn't mean that others around me need to reap the toils of my mindset. In three occasions in the last 24 hours, my emotions and mindset got a head of me and all I did was react to what I thought was a reality. It is only after my third interaction with an individual I realized I was learning a life lesson that will hold true in any chaotic situation. In life, it is always important to listen first. It's amazing what listening can do to your perspective and giving you insight to the TRUE reality.

Have you ever just thought of taking the time to listen to someone and reflect on how what they're experiencing is affecting them? If you're in a helping profession, this is probably quite familiar; however, it can become monotonous for us and we don't focus on why we are asking certain questions. Instead, we may just be focusing on the next best question to ask.

I took the time to listen first before reacting in the last 24 hours and it only opened my eyes to the Real Reality, not the one I conjured up for myself. From now on, my first step will always be to listen.