Listen Longer Than Feels Comfortable

Most people listen
just long enough
to start talking.

They hear the first few words,
recognize the problem,
and jump to the answer
they already had ready.

Resist that.

When someone brings you something,
listen past the point
where you think you understand.

Because the first thing they say
is rarely the real thing.
The real thing comes later,
after they feel heard enough
to say it out loud.

"The code won't build"
is sometimes
"I'm afraid I'm not good enough for this."

You'll miss that entirely
if you solved the build error
and moved on.

Silence feels awkward.
Let it sit anyway.
The pause you're tempted to fill
is often the moment
they were about to tell you
what actually matters.

Listen longer than feels comfortable.

That's where the real conversation
has been waiting.

– Asael Shinder