I tend to talk, a lot.
But only about information that I know, information that I’ve listened to, asked questions about so that I can be knowledgeable when I talk about it.
Which leads me into one of my favorite quotes from an unknown source …
“You were born with two ears and one mouth for a reason.”
Why were we born with two ears and one mouth? So that we can listen twice as much as we speak.
This is a powerful quote. Listening is one of the most powerful tools we have, only because it is the way we learn and grow.
Let’s think about this … “I became a successful entrepreneur on my own without being told what to do or how to do it…” WRONG!
Let me tell you why this is wrong. I did listen, and I continue to listen, have coaches, (I just hired a new one) and belong to mastermind groups to continue my learning.
Every team has a coach, every student a teacher, every protégé, a mentor. It is impossible to learn without being taught. I had many mentors that I listened to throughout my journey.
And by listening, I learn to ask great questions. Then after getting the answer, I actually learned to find out what the customer is looking for. Imagine that! I built everything I have today by listening!
Life is about learning and growing. We can’t do either one or both if we just listen to ourselves talk all day. We have to listen to ourselves listen. Big Difference!
You have a choice. You can tell people what you are going to do, or you can actually do it and let people listen and learn from you. However, I hope you listened to someone or listened to yourself first to gather enough intelligence on whatever you did before you actually do it, like I did.
I learn from any successful person that I can learn from. This is the way we can grow as entrepreneurs. If someone solicits my advice in an area I am somewhat informed, I will give my advice to the best of my ability. That is how I have learned to go about things.
There’s a lot of information around us that we know what to do with. The problem is our egos get in the way and cloud our judgement.
If you find yourself talking more than you are listening, my recommendation is to shut up and just listen!
It may be the best bit of advice you have received in a long time. It sure was for me!