The concept of the listening service may not be really new. Hair stylists and
bartenders have been listening for ages. But most people are unfamiliar with the idea of using a listening service. Which actually seems a bit strange given that everyone is familiar with the idea of wanting someone to listen to them.
We all have the desire to be heard. It doesn’t have to be a problem you have, that needs therapy, it could be exciting plans you have about something that you think others don’t care to know about, so they pretend to listen but you know that they are not really listening. You might try to use social media for the purpose of sharing something exciting, but then get lost among the superficial likes or lack of likes feeling lonelier than ever.
Finding someone who listens with interest and curiosity but without judgement is not that easy. We all have people in our lives who will tell us what we should be doing or offer lots of advice that we may not really want. But someone who just listens and really hears what we are experiencing is harder to find. Think of the person that you are just about to share something important with, that picks up their cell phone to check a text message or their social media page instead of actively listening to you. It makes you feel unimportant doesn’t it? Or the person that is pretending to listen to you, but is checking out other people in the room. It makes us shut down and we feel unheard.
