Thanks for this article, Zulie! I've just been journalling and was writing about the people in my life who I can be the most myself with. I noticed that one of their common denominators was the ability to listen, which I find to be a rare quality in people.

Not offering advice when you listen is the hardest for me and I often catch myself doing it. Like you said in the article, I think we just want to feel like we’re helping or we simply don’t know how to react to someone’s feelings and we fill the void with tips or sharing our own experiences.

On the other hand, the challenge that I find in trying to be a good listener is that, at times, others might assume that you don’t want to talk and they start dominating conversations. As they focus more on themselves, I find myself feeling resentment and less motivation to listen because my needs are not met. I still haven’t figured out the best solution for this.