OT: At least kind of. . .

I'm still such a work in progress. Does anyone else have habits not food related that they would like to get rid of? I'm going to call myself out on one, hoping to change it. I love people, I love to listen but I also love to talk. I have such a hard time waiting until someone is finished speaking before I open my mouth and start talking. Sometimes I think I'm afraid that I'll forget what I have to share before they finish. I know that listening is much more important than talking but sometimes it's so hard to wait them out. Some of my friends like to talk as much as I do and I don't know if they would ever finish. I'm going to challenge myself to just keep my lips sealed until they are done. Perhaps I will become known as the great listening friend! Please help me feel that I am not alone. Anyone else out there have a habit that they'd like to change?

Hiya Karen,I too cut my daughter off and she calls me on it. I also work in sales,and it is important for me to listen at times.
I keep a little "doodle book" I write down phrases to remember what I wanted to say....and I paraphrase to let them know I hear them and to make sure I understand what they say.
It helps me with my cognitive skills which were shot to shyte when I fell on my head.
Do you know doodlers are considered very intelligent people who actually absorb more? Too bad my grade school teachers didn't know that...LOL.
That's my 25 cents worth.
Huggers!

***HIJACK***

Sweet Linda....I like your doodle idea and will start using it. As for being in public I don't think it will work as I will look like a reporter otr something....LOL!!!

Hugs and love....Boo....to you!!

Hello my Boo!! You wanna make a person nervous?? Start taking notes when they are talking...LOL!
I work on the phone so it is great. I am in a high security office..so even my doodles are in a notebook,or must be locked up or destroyed. It helps a lot though,being in sales. I have always been a doodler...used to get in trouble doing it on tests...little did they know how smart I was ...grin!
Love ya Boo!

Very interesting Karen, Mine is on the other end of the spectrum, But I have also decided I really want to change. I hold my own with friends but not with Chuck he just steam rolls over me all the time and thats a very major reason I broke up with him. After our weekend I was utterly exhausted, I share a room with him and he snores so bad that I can't sleep so after 3 days I am a basket case. Monday night I was so tired I just wanted to veg..and I did, I didn't want to hear his incesent chatter so I didn't answer the phone, I was in bed at 11 and again he calls I picked up the phone and off he goeson what was going on in his world, I just started to sob, he said for a second, what's wrong? of course I said Nothing and off he went. last night he came over and wouldn't shut up while I was trying to watch our show, and he was piece by piece tearing everyone we know down. I told him I couldnt take it, if he couldn't say something nice just stop it. His face got all red and he started to pace the room.. THIS Is WHAT I WANT To CHANGE, not him, thats between him and God, But I will not take it any more, if he wants to be my friend he can leave his negative nit picking at home, he thinks so little of himself that he constantly puts others down. Not sure I would call it a habit, but it must change..

Jean,kudos on setting your boundaries and taking care of yourself!
  

Jean i must have missed something somewhere the last i knew you were rid of him for good.  sounds like you shouldnt have second guessed yourself... love and hugs

Karen,

I've been thinking about this post and I think one of my biggest faults, which I do work at trying to change, is that I am too quick to jump in and try to help, which can come off as thinking I know better or, worse still, as being bossy, when in reality I really do want to help, but forget that when someone wants my help they can ask. . .  and I, while generally a good listener, sometimes jump in before someone finishes their thought or sentence, because oftentimes I forget what I was going to say, but, it's also something I dislike, being interrupted that is, because it will break my train of thought and I will forget what I was saying, lol, which is when one finds out if someone is really listening, because a good listener can tell you what you were talking about (lol), I'm still under construction here, slowly improving like the infrastructure of this great country of ours and look how slowly that happens (lol)

Hugs, Laureen

Well, being a reporter, I had to force myself to be a better listener (although I love to talk, don't get me wrong!). But because I had to hear what others were saying to be a better reporter, I had to shut up. I still find myself not listening as well sometimes. I want to tell my story because all those years I was telling everyone else's stories.

You know my non-food related habits ... overspending. I still have it. I battle it daily. I like to buy things. Luckily, I don't have credit cards. I will never have them again. They are too dangerous for me. It's like alcohol for an alcoholic or drugs for a junkie. I can't have it around me. I don't know how to use it wisely. I have tried to learn but it doesn't work. I work on my reasons for overspending with my psychologist ... I still have a void in my life that I try to fill with things or food ... sometimes I still turn to food (just not in big quantities).

I guess knowing the problem is there is half the battle. Trying to conquer it is the other half.

HI-JACK
Eileen - As soon as I saw the word "reporter" I wanted to tell you a (short) story.
A friend of mine worked for the Windsor (Ontario) Star 35 or so years ago.  He was new and was sent to report on issues/topics that others didn't want anything to do with  -  which meant interviewing every (usually over-the-hill) celebrity who came to Windsor/Detroit.  Dudley Moore was in Detroit and Rob was sent to interview him.  Each reporter from different papers waited in the hall of the hotel, probably the Ren Cen, and was told that each would have 15 minutes or less, can't remember exactly.  Rob is a very funny man, and he is 6' 6" - you know how short Dudley Moore was.  When it was Rob's turn to interview Dudley, he found that they had the same type of sense of humour and he stayed with Mr. Moore for much longer than he was allowed.
 
Rob also interviewed Debbie Reynolds and others and hated it  -  except for Dudley Moore who he found to be a real charmer.
Margaret