Give; and people will open their hearts and minds to what you have to say.

To be heard, you must earn the right to be heard.  Our constitution guarantees us the right to speak but does not address the right to be heard.

Many an arrogant fool publicly demands that people listen to his infected rantings.  But rarely has that individual done what is necessary to earn the respect of his potential audience.

The word “respect” is defined by such words as yielding, deferring and submitting.   To gain the respect of another person you must yield, defer or submit to them in some manner.  Showing respect to another person automatically requires humility.  Arrogance has no place in demonstrating your respect to another person.  In fact, arrogance will not allow you to show genuine respect to another.

If you have been trying to get another person to listen to you and change their mind or their behavior, try humbly giving them a gift, a kind word or a humble act of kindness.   Giving may produce an open heart and an open mind on their part.

Tim

Filed under: Building Rugged Gentlemen, Real Men Don't Talk Trash by tim