Seek first to understand

Well we’re at lesson five (5) in our journey to learn the seven (7) habits of extremely successful people. We have covered:

Being proactive;
Having the end game in mind;
Putting 1st things 1st; and
Thinking win-win when confronted with conflict.

The 5th lesson is “seeking first to understand, then to be understood”. This concept deals with listening. How often do you really listen to another person? If we are honest what we mostly do is evaluate and judge the other person because of the “video” we have running in our heads about that person. That’s what prejudice is all about. We all have video clips running in our heads-those videos have been placed in our heads and hearts by our parents, by our experiences, what is said by others, or our own experiences. What if we erased all the preconceived videos and just tried to experience each other on a fresh basis with each new interaction. Wouldn’t the world be a better place? You have the power to erase the video clips in your head that are negative not only for others but more important FOR YOURSELF!