Bathroom Wisdom

While frantically studying the other night for my final exam, I made frequent trips to the library bathroom (special thanks to Starbucks Coffee and the library café for sending me there so many times!)

...That's not the interesting part of the story. I promise I won't sit here talking about the bathroom for much longer....

So you know how people like to do that really cool, rebellious [read: cliché & played-out] thing where they whip out a pen while they're in the stall and write on the walls? Yeah, well I guess A LOT of people over the years have decided to defy the rules. I was hit with hundreds of statements, questions, poems, etc... Most of it was pretty useless, but I came across one timely/appropriate piece of wisdom that summed up how I feel about a lot of the social interactions around me.


"There's a difference between listening and waiting to talk."


Far too often do I come across people who don't seem to realize the difference. In at least 50% of the interactions I have every day, someone seems to think they're listening... when they're only waiting for me to be finished so that it can be their turn to speak.

Next time you're in a conversation, step back and notice how you're handling the situation -- Are you just waiting for the other person to stop talking so you can say your piece? Do you even wait to speak? Do you just interrupt? Do you find yourself talking about YOU about 75% of the time? (And don't exclude talking about yourself in relation to the original topic from the calculation...) Do you ask other people how they're doing?

If you tend to find yourself in rushed conversations with people trying to get away from you, you might have a problem.

We're all guilty of it sometimes -- it's probably just human nature. But always "waiting to talk" rather than "listening" is an issue. And good relationships will be hard for you in the future if you don't address it now.



Now... who knew a bathroom stall could sum up everything I've been feeling in 9 simple words?!

:)