There’s nothing quite like sharing my ideas with another person, especially someone who’ll listen and respond to what I say. Someone who offers not only positive reinforcement but interest.
I get a charge of energy being around such people. More ideas pop into my head as we talk, concepts for potential stories, blogs, all kinds of projects. People are a source of creative vitality like nothing else for me. I doubt I would have gotten as far as I have as a writer if I hadn’t been lucky enough to have such people, encouraging me at various times in my life.
I’m trying to be such a person myself, but it’s difficult for me. I’m not a good listener. I tend to fixate on a few details, a few words and lose track of the rest. I often miss something important when I do.
This is one of the reasons why I’m grateful for the written word. It’s a chance for me to absorb the whole of what someone is saying, to truly to take in the entire story. Improving my listening skills is a challenge when my mind seizes on one detail a person says, running away with it.
They’re fun sprints, those mental tangents, but they leave the person who’s talking to me behind.
Some of the most attractive, considerate people I’ve ever known don’t leave others behind. One of the qualities which makes them interesting is that they make others feel interesting and attractive. They bring out the fun, the creative energy in the company they keep.
Such people can make me believe my stories are worth it just with their response. I find myself daring to come up with more stories, encouraged that I’m on the right track in telling the tales I’m telling.
There are few sources of inspiration more addictive than the right listener. Seldom have I been happier than in her company.
What about you, dear reader? Have you ever been inspired by someone else who listened to you? Did you get any special ideas while talking to them? Special ideas which transformed into unique projects in your life?