In my journeys both in Kenya and Canada,I have met with thousands of people. I have met with people from almost every country in the world,and through my interactions I have been blessed to receive a part of them that has opened my eyes and heart,the experiences have left me more wealthy and richer with knowledge and wisdom. I have learnt that we all have stories and great journeys,and that deep down in us we trust we will not be quickly judged by others using our past,we all have longings to be given a chance to tell our stories from our own perspective, a new chance with a blank check of acceptance.The stories we tell are as real to us as the feeling of rain on our face. They take on shape and form in our minds, directing our perceptions of the world around us. Through those stories we decide how to see our world, estimate our abilities, and approach our relationships and connections.

In organizations, poor listening is responsible for the loss of billions of dollars due to unnecessary mistakes, lost opportunities, ineffectiveness and deficiencies.

In relationships, poor listening is responsible for disconnectedness from our families, loved ones, friends and customers. It is the cause of breakdowns and break ups.

Being unable to tell your story is a living death. The right to speak is a form of wealth that is redistributed to others. Stories save lives. And stories are our lives. We are our stories; stories that can be both prison and the crowbar to break open the door of that prison. Any amount of words that we share will never be told in the same order by anyone else. Listen to the beauty of people’s lives: the way their eyes gleam when they tell you the happiest moment of their lives, the way the tears fall when they tell us about their saddest moments.

I encourage you and myself to let your walls down as others do to us and grasp every detail that embodies every second of that person’s story. Let it consume us, lose our-self in their stories like we do with our favorite movies or TV show. We may not be able to change the way their life went, but the fact that we were interested enough to be part of their story makes a world to them. I encourage you to stop looking at the scars other people left you with. It’s time to look at the other point of view and try to see what you are capable of and believe me, you have the potential to do the greatest things.

I encourage you to listen with an open heart and an open mind to those who who are in the space that you have created or opened for them to share their stories. You may hear a grain of truth that will later become the foundation of your entire belief system.It is a generous act of giving when we allow someone the space to be exactly who they are and exactly who they are not. This takes the ability to authentically listen with Heart.By listening with an open Heart, it is love in action. By listening with mindfulness, it is the way for making every interaction become memorable. Lead from within: The Heart of listening is a gift to yourself and others. everyone you meet can impact and change your life.