By Their Words You Shall Know Them
Though we are admonished not to judge other people, it is wise to be on the alert, to discern just what kind of mindset other people may be displaying. One way to do that is to be a good listener. By listening to the words that people say and you can usually determine what kind of person they are. There are exceptions. If one is an actor, a storyteller, or an entertainer, you might have to wait until they are off stage before drawing your conclusions.
If you can spend several days with someone, you should be able to see what kind of person they are by what they talk about. It doesn’t take long to see if someone is worried. If all they talk about are their problems, they are worried. If you hear them use phrases that smack of revenge, you know you are dealing with a vindictive person. You can find out very quickly if someone has bitterness toward another person. If you should happen to say something good about that person, the bitter individual will come out with something very negative like: “Well, there are a few things about her/him you just don’t know."
Words are usually the visible evidence of what is going on in a person’s mind. It is a good idea to listen to your own words, if you want to get to know yourself. What have you been talking about lately? Words are a mirror image of who you are.
You have been given two ears to listen and only one mouth to speak. Choose to really listen to others and to your own words. After a few good listening sessions, you will be enriched with new knowledge about others and especially about yourself.
Next Article: More about labelling