Amazeballz Stories Day 40/100: Talk Less. Smile More.

I am a terrible listener.

I’d much rather talk than listen. I think aloud. I write out what I’m learning. I talk about what I am thinking about what I am talking about.

I need to find my shut the hell up and listen button.

When I listen, I hear your stories. The REAL stories under the fluff and distractions.

When I listen I hear my own story. The real story under the bullshit I distract myself with.

We live in a world where everyone is a broadcaster. Facebook Live, Instagram stories, and even my beloved Medium — everyone has a platform to proclaim their brilliant perceptions and expertise. Everyone is talking, sharing their shiniest content, putting themselves out there.

When do we make time to take it all in?

If we are all talking, how do take in enough new information, new perceptions, new stories and new truths?

Listening is so simple that anyone can do it, but few do.

Listening is a mindfulness technique, like meditation. It’s hard. It requires a lot of focus and determination. It might even seem boring at first. But it makes a difference in your life. Now EVERYONE is into meditation. It has become a trend.

Let’s start a listening movement.

As Aaron Burr says: Talk less. Smile More.

Hi! I’m Mary Lucus Flannery — a chiropractor, a writer, a marketer, and a teacher.

I am the founder of The Art of Story Project, an online business which coaches speakers and content creators to use story to become more powerful influencers.

Amazeballz Stories is a writing project where I share a story about what I am learning every day. I am challenging myself to know my truth and speak my truth — in public — every day.

Press the ❤ below if you liked this story. It means a lot to me. Plus, it helps other people to discover it.

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