Listen On Purpose

“Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person, they are almost indistinguishable.”

― David Augsburger

As a creative, a web-designer and a writer, listening is everything!

For 25 years, I practiced the art of listening. It’s pivotal to the psychotherapeutic process. I learned to listen for themes, threads and interconnected relationships. I dropped the worry of how I would respond and gave myself a wide berth for silence - silence is powerful, it’s pregnant with untapped potential.

Instead of responding with deductions or diagnosis, I always asked more questions – my genuine curiosity elicited a closeness, made it safe for deeper exploration. Prying in this way always dug to the core where the cream resides.

Then, all those involved, would go on about life synthesizing what was readily available, while in the background – the subconscious hummed and buzzed with what we had heard or said and I waited in anticipation for the Angel’s whisper of wisdom.

Getting to the essence of what a client wants, any client, involves this process.

Those 25 years of listening are gold to my work as an artist. I am never alone in the creative process. I trust the forces that surround us to deliver through vision and inspired action.

My relationship with clients does become intimate, probably more intimate than your average web designer or copywriter. There is a level of trust that develops when you really listen – it is a form of love - a caring for their success.

I received a text from a recent client after reworking her blog that said “Oh, Theresa! I am so excited. I can read my words reworked, reformed and, framed in a way that says to me, she gets me and my message!” There is no better affirmation to the work I do! This is what we created together.

Whatever your line of work, consider listening on purpose. Drop your focus from “how you respond” to “be fully present and consciously digest what you hear” and then, breath into that golden silence. Allow the Angel’s whispers to guide your response.

Try it in your personal relationships too, put down your devices, listen for the cream and watch your love life swirl!