Being in nature provides a serene backdrop to truly listen and connect with someone. By offering empathetic silence rather than advice, you create a safe space for the other person to explore their thoughts and find their own path forward. You’re creating a space where all of this can unfold, and the ripple effect will be profound.
Despite the delay in replying, Doug, I am super grateful for your reflection here. You're spot-on re: the power of nature as a backdrop to allow people to really connect together. And thank you for specifically responding to the idea of providing "empathetic silence rather than advice" to others so they have a chance to more deeply explore what they're working on. Clearly this is a purposeful part of a bigger process which also allows for recommendations, back-n-forth dialogue, and accountability. But my instinct is that if we don't start by sharing our expertise when others are exploring their "works > in > progress", we eventually listen our way into understanding what they're really working on. And thus where we can real value over time.
The art, science and practice of listening taken to a whole new level! The brilliance of walking in wonder, in community, and communicating from the deepest of places. Would join if I could, as a work in progress, and in the meantime, I am grateful to you for taking us along virtually.
Thank you, Gary. Not sure how it took this long to reply, but know your original comment was appreciated the day it arrived. Loving your use of "walking in wonder" -- but I'm sure you're not surprised by that. Would so value a chance to have you 'on trail' with us one day. But maybe we'll find a way to do that in a different setting, on a different sort of 'trail' to begin with.
![[good]men: works > in > progress](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!yeC6!,w_120,h_120,c_fill,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7f1138b2-fde1-461d-afea-95b2066e2dbc_1077x1077.png)
Loved reading this. Thanks for sharing!!
Really appreciate your support, Steven.
Being in nature provides a serene backdrop to truly listen and connect with someone. By offering empathetic silence rather than advice, you create a safe space for the other person to explore their thoughts and find their own path forward. You’re creating a space where all of this can unfold, and the ripple effect will be profound.
Despite the delay in replying, Doug, I am super grateful for your reflection here. You're spot-on re: the power of nature as a backdrop to allow people to really connect together. And thank you for specifically responding to the idea of providing "empathetic silence rather than advice" to others so they have a chance to more deeply explore what they're working on. Clearly this is a purposeful part of a bigger process which also allows for recommendations, back-n-forth dialogue, and accountability. But my instinct is that if we don't start by sharing our expertise when others are exploring their "works > in > progress", we eventually listen our way into understanding what they're really working on. And thus where we can real value over time.
The art, science and practice of listening taken to a whole new level! The brilliance of walking in wonder, in community, and communicating from the deepest of places. Would join if I could, as a work in progress, and in the meantime, I am grateful to you for taking us along virtually.
Thank you, Gary. Not sure how it took this long to reply, but know your original comment was appreciated the day it arrived. Loving your use of "walking in wonder" -- but I'm sure you're not surprised by that. Would so value a chance to have you 'on trail' with us one day. But maybe we'll find a way to do that in a different setting, on a different sort of 'trail' to begin with.