Why Won't They Listen to Me?

I have some tough news to tell you. Other people don’t want to hear about the weaknesses or faults you see in them (Yes, this includes your family and your colleagues). To you, it may be obvious that they need to exercise more, eat healthier, be more patient, complain less, etc. Have you ever convinced someone to change by telling them what they need to do differently? There is the rare exception, but generally people will get defensive and only see that you don’t approve of them. What is the best way to get people to change? The truth can be hard to swallow. The answer is to change the one “thing” you can change – yourself!! By this I mean the way you react to that person and the behavior you model to them. If you accept them just the way they are and display the type of behavior you want from them (patience, positive attitude, etc), they will change the way they respond to you and your behavior may rub off. Remember, they are on their own journey; not your journey and you are imperfect just like them.