Goal for 2012

One of my goals for 2012 should be to hear WHAT people are saying and not HOW they are saying it. Sometimes, the how overwhelms the words.  I usually hear the words, but what I remember is the tone of voice, the presentation.  I need to just hear the words and not react or feel that the tone represents what the person is feeling towards me.  The older I get, the more I realize that most often, their stuff has little to nothing to do with me on the outset. How I react may determine if it BECOMES about me and I would like that to happen less and less.

We'll see how it goes.