How to Stop Interrupting People

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Good advice to stop interrupting: Keep Calm and Wait for Your Turn

“Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to reply.”
-Stephen R. Covey, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

One of my biggest pet peeves is also one of my own worst habits: interrupting people. I usually do it inadvertently — I think a person has finished speaking and I jump in with whatever is on my mind, only to cut them off in the process. It comes from a place of engagement and wanting to contribute to the conversation, but it’s rude and gives the impression that I’m not interested in what the other person has to say. In an effort to break myself of this habit, I’ve scoured the internet for the best advice on how to stop interrupting people and become a better listener. Here’s a roundup of what I found.

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The Weekend Listen

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A pair of wireless headphones for podcast listening

I listen to a lot of podcasts while driving, working out, and doing chores around the house. In this weekly feature, I’ll tell you about one episode I particularly enjoyed that week.

My pick for this week is Dear Sugar Radio’s episode Location, Location, Location.  Dear Sugar is hosted by Cheryl Strayed (of Wild fame) and Steve Almond, who answer letters from listeners asking questions about love and life.  It’s kind of a modern-day advice column, in audio format.  This week, they tackle the topics of home (as in, what makes a place feel like home?), relocation, and travel, in the context of relationships.

Want more podcasts?  Here are my runners-up for the week:

Need a tutorial on how to listen to podcasts?  Here you go.

Are you listening to a podcast that I haven’t mentioned yet?  Let us know about it in the comments!

Tell Your Story

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My One Line A Day Five Year Memory Book, with a pen on top

I’m a big believer in the transformative and connective power of telling your story.  It’s been almost a year now since I began my practice of writing creatively on a nearly daily basis, and I have learned so much about myself in the process.  While most of what I’ve written has never been shared publicly, taking the time to reflect on the events of my life and how they’ve shaped me has been truly invaluable from a personal development perspective.  And while I was a little nervous about starting this blog and putting my thoughts and personal stories out there on the internet for anyone to read, I’ve been so moved and encouraged by the feedback I’ve received.  I love getting an email or comment from someone who can relate to what I’ve posted, and this blog has helped to deepen the conversations I have with some of the people in my life.

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How to Lift Yourself Up When You’re Feeling Down

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An oil painting of a blooming bradford pear tree
Pear Tree in Bloom, 2015. For details and purchase information, please contact Alexis.

Even the most optimistic and happy-go-lucky among us occasionally have bad days.  I’m not talking about clinical depression; I’m talking about those days when things don’t go your way, or you get some bad news, or a long stretch of misfortunes culminates into a wave of negative emotions.  We all deal with those days in our own ways, some healthier than others.  May I offer a few suggestions for working through these tough times?

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Quote of the Week

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“There will be no one like us when we are gone, but then there is no one like anyone else, ever. When people die, they cannot be replaced. They leave holes that cannot be filled, for it is the fate—the genetic and neural fate—of every human being to be a unique individual, to find his own path, to live his own life, to die his own death. I cannot pretend I am without fear. But my predominant feeling is one of gratitude. I have loved and been loved; I have been given much and I have given something in return; I have read and traveled and thought and written. I have had an intercourse with the world, the special intercourse of writers and readers. Above all, I have been a sentient being, a thinking animal, on this beautiful planet, and that in itself has been an enormous privilege and adventure.”

Oliver Sacks, Gratitude

The last bit of color in a dusk sky reflects on a lake