What’s your story?

When you look at a person, any person, remember that everyone has a story. Everyone has gone through something that has changed them. – Unknown

Everyone has got a story to tell, for everyone is living life, experiencing, feeling, and struggling. Some stories are colorful, exciting and invigorating. Some are bold, unpredictable, and interesting. Some stories can make you cry, some make you laugh, some leave you feeling scared, confused, and exhausted.

Yet truly, how many stories do we really know? How many people do we really know? Do we listen just because we want to respond or do we do so because we have a genuine interest in what the other is saying? Are we hearing just with our minds or with our hearts? Are we realizing that every encounter with an individual is valuable and precious- because they’ve got their own journey.

We are all so busy creating, running, accomplishing, that sometimes we forget about the people around us. About genuine interest in the other. That there are so many beautiful people out there with various perspectives, ideologies, interests.

We fear to dig into the other, for we are afraid of what we can find. There is lots of vulnerability with sharing, with opening up, with telling your story. But aren’t we all the same like that? Haven’t we all felt pain in one way or the other, experienced loss, saw the darkness, tried to climb out of the rut we’ve fallen into? 

We’re all human, with challenges, with struggles, with interesting tales to share. We all have insights, inspirations, adventures which may open up the other to a new perspective- a new way of viewing things.

Being genuinely interested means stopping your own train of thoughts and going into the other person’s world, emotions and reality. It’s truly being with the person, not just physically but emotionally. Tuning into what their saying. Learning lessons. Becoming inspired.

Everyone has a story to share. And everyone’s story is worth hearing. So now I’m just sitting on my sofa with my cup of coffee and listening.. what’s your story? 

It’s time for us to really listen.