451 MIND MAZE OR LISTENING SKILLS

It's not as if you'll never catch me inserting foot into mouth
Being human, of course that happens
In truth, insight into listening skills
Does not make a mind infallible to mistakes—and
Practice does not make perfect—because
Perfection does not exist—so
While consciously developing my ability to listen
To the thoughts of others more thoroughly, today
I set a high value upon developing reflective listening skills
Which deepen my sense of self awareness, as well
And in this way do I  hope to catch myself
Before thoughtless words come tumbling out—
More often than not ... so that ...
I can stop myself from putting foot in mouth
And stumbling into dark wells of regret ...
Less often than before
You see, as reflective listening skills develop
We tend to grow more aware of our own gaffs—on the spot
In short, as more of us learn to listen to the needs of others more attentively ...
And hear our own mistakes with a greater sense of accuracy ...

Then we may leap toward negatively focused ...

Assumptive, judgmental, condemning, or insensitive conclusions—less often
And as misunderstandings lessen, we may lock horns ... less often than ever before
As a skilled listener grows ever more aware of mixed-messaged madness
He or she is less likely to be sucked into the mental maze
Where mass confusion, which messes with everyone's mind, reigns supreme
Each time you hear your little voice of instinct say
Been there done that, I'm full up, no more for me, thank you, very much ...
That kind of reaction suggests that you've gained insight into a plaguing situation
Which had once been beyond your comprehension
You see, as you gain knowledge
Concerning the part you'd once played in the fray ...
You can choose to remain clear of the mental maze—
Where people, who care deeply for one another
Have no clue as to why they can't stop themselves from locking horns
With certain others within the group
At this point in my development, it's reassuring to know
That listening skills accompany me everywhere I go
In fact, I feel deeply appreciative each time skillful listening
Empowers me to stay clear of any mind maze
Which rings out in this familiar way:
First I identify a person, who had been able to make me react
By subtly pushing my hot buttons, repeatedly, in the past
This awareness allows me to disengage my mind
From any subtle, mixed-messaged maze, which tries to push my buttons, today
Upon depositing knowledge, like this, into my memory bank
I can consciously extricate my mind
From taking part in whatever game
Another person's ego needs to play
And thus, rather than feeling subtly 'put down'
I make an emotional U turn
Which redirects my mind away from any negatively focused group dynamic...
Where latent insecurity attempts to distort clarity, concerning reality, today
If asked why it's wise to identify dysfunctional games
That people may not realize they feel the need to play, here is what I'd say:
Each time a mind is sucked, unknowingly, into a maze
Any conversation, seeking logic, is bound to hit wall after wall
Why? Once an insecure ego comes out to play
The cord, which connects logic to logic is sliced in half
Upon the absorption of this piece of knowledge
I've chosen to develop a trusty set of listening skills
Which keeps my connection to logic, and thus to clarity , intact
And now that you know why I work to develop the strength
To disconnect from any mixed-messaged zinger
Which had once packed the subtle power to mess with my sense of clarity
Let's end with this question:
Each time I set my focus upon today's train of thought, guess what I maintain?
Yep ...
My peace of mind

Uh, wait a minute ... A trio of vital questions just popped out of my mind ...

Do you realize that before each story leads into the next
I offer up a clue, suggesting that a vital detail has not yet been revealed?

As to my reasoning for creating this sense of suspense?
Life is a mystery, which unfolds with every step we take
So certain details will not emerge until such time
As you witness my awareness developing insight
Into a portion of my mind maze, which had distressed and mystified me
During an earlier stage of my life
For example, a subtle hint, such as that, may be found in post 449 ...

Did you catch it?
J