Purposeful Partnerships News You Can Use
In This Issue
Listening ... For Real
The Power of Purpose
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Quote of the Month 
The greatest gift you can give another is the purity of your attention.
 
Richard Moss, author
Coach's Box
 
If you improved your listening skills, how might that impact your life?
 
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Janna Rust
 
913-219-7844
 
14543 Chadwick St.
Leawood, KS 66224
Purposeful News
June 2008, Issue 1
Greetings!

Summer is finally here and many of us find ourselves in disrupted routines with kids out of school or vacation activities planned.  I, for one, have been "disrupted" by the occasional round of golf that calls my name!
 
No matter what season we find ourselves in, we can't "escape" from listening to people can we?  Nor can we get away from the day to day activities of life.  
 
This month's issue won't allow you to go on a mental vacation, even though vacation season has arrived, as it addresses the valuable life skills of listening and intentional living.  Happy learning!  
 
Warmly,
 
Janna

Janna Rust
Founder
Listening...For Real 
How good of a listener are you? How pure is the attention you give to another? We've all been doing some form of listening since we were kids.  Therefore, we probably think that listening is something we do quite naturally. 
 
As adults, we've probably learned some outward skills of listening, also known as "active listening".  These are the techniques of paraphrasing, posture and nodding the head, etc.  In other words, we've all learned how to better pretend that we were listening!  In reality, we may not be very good listeners at all.  We pretend to listen, giving all of the right outward cues, but inside our heads we are having another conversation. 
 
The key to listening well is to focus on what listening-iconswe do on the inside, rather than the outside, and eliminate those "side conversations" in our heads.  It is easy to get distracted, but we can do something about it by just being aware of the triggers. 
 
Here are some quick tips to sharpen your listening skills that you can use right away: 
  • Listen for curiosity rather than diagnosis.   When you find yourself starting to diagnose someone's problem, think about what made you start to do that and ask a question about that.
  • Eliminate environmental distractions.  Silence the phone.  Mute the email alarm.  Clear away the clutter that makes your mind wander.
Remember, listening starts and ends in our heads.  With a little discpline and practice, we can all really listen and listen well. 
 
IN THE NEXT ISSUE: What do we listen for?
The Power of Purpose
What is purpose anyway?  The search for purpose in life has become very popular these days.  And why is it so powerful when we find it? 
 
Purpose is defined as:
  1. Something one intends to get or do; intention; aim.
  2. Resolution; determination.
  3. The object for which something exists or is done; end in view. 

In the big picture of our lives, purpose can take the form of a "life purpose" or "calling" - that thing which we were born to do.  In the short term, living with purpose is simply making the most of our day to day choices in an effort to either be more productive or to live out our "purpose", keeping the end in mind.  Either way you look at it, living with a sense of purpose, provides an element of motivation to our lives.  Purpose can be what makes us jump out of bed in the morning!

The power of purpose is that it facilitates change. 
 
Purpose propels us forward and transforms an ordinary life into an exceptional life.  In short, purpose drives progress.  What is your purpose? 
 
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Contact me for more information and start communicating better today!
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