Hi Reader,

I have a nearly constant conversation going with myself. The me that I hear in my head is very articulate. But whenever I start having conversations with other people, they do this irritating thing: they disagree with me. It really interrupts my articulateness.

If you know me, you may see what I'm doing here. Sure, I can be articulate. But sometimes I get over-attached to my articulateness, and then it's time to poke fun at it. Let some of the air out.

That's not actually what I want to do with today's newsletter, though. My goal here is to challenge this very deep-seated need (or perceived need, at least) of mine, and to commit to replacing it with something deeper, something more in line with my calling, something that I hope can be of real service to the world.

I mean, this newsletter is part of the problem. Same thing with my book. They're just more of me talking to myself. Same as described above. It's a constant chatter. Nothing wrong with it. I'm just starting to wonder if I've taken it as far as it'll go. Maybe it's time to practice something new.

That something is the opposite of talking. It's listening.

I don't really know how to listen with a newsletter. Maybe it's not a fit and I'll need to find some other vehicle for my practice. I don't know yet. Here's what I do know:

I want to be a space inside of which my listening serves as an invitation to others to come home.

I will be practicing this in the coming weeks and months. I will be paying attention to what people say, to their facial expressions and body language. I will be listening for what they're paying attention to; to listen for their listening, as my coach puts it. I'll fail often, and learn from it. I'll forget when I get busy and tired, which is most of the time. But I'll keep working at it, because, well... because I just will.

I want to be a space inside of which my listening serves as an invitation to others to come home.

So. What does it mean to come home?

Well, what does it mean to you?