My closest friend, Patricia, became a grandmother in October 2019. Her first grandchild arrived unexpectedly, six weeks early, and despite his tiny size, he was healthy. Thank goodness!
Fast forward ten months, Patricia recently described her grandson’s attempts at taking his first steps. She encouraged him to keep his eyes on her which helped him focus and move forward. When he didn’t focus on her, he became too conscious of the steps he was taking, and he would stumble. But when he focused on something else, his adoring grandmother in this case, he was able to take those steps!
I see this play out with new patients who are learning to put on their new hearing aids for the first time. (Their first steps to better hearing and living!) They concentrate so hard on what they are doing that it becomes challenging and frustrating for them. I often find myself suggesting they focus on a picture or something else, and not think about what they are doing. Then, the hearing aids usually slip into their ears with ease! Isn’t that interesting?
This story of first steps and focus is a powerful metaphor for life
With the help of a friend, I realized the important connection between focus and stepping forward in life. In so many ways, we are all taking first steps as we learn to live during this time of the Covid-19 pandemic, political unrest, economic uncertainty, and the California fires.
When we lose our focus on what really matters, we fall
I want to ask you an important question.
What really matters to you?
Go ahead and read the rest of the email but please come back and ask yourself this juicy question. I’ll remind you to answer this question for yourself at the end!
For me, personally, what really matters is connection, family, and love. I envision a life and a world where we all belong. My commitment is to bring more love and less fear into each and every day, through my thoughts, my conversations, and my actions in the world. This, in turn, influences Avalon.
At Avalon Hearing, we adopt you!
What really matters is making a positive difference in people’s lives. At Avalon Hearing Aid Centers, we help people hear the best they can…for life. When we say life, we mean your life, now, and for years to come. We do this through a warm, more personal approach to hearing care. We educate people about hearing loss and quality hearing healthcare. Building lasting relationships is at the heart of everything we do. And yes, we adopt you!
Take the Avalon Challenge!
The next time you misunderstand what someone is saying (which is easy to do with masks on), would you please remember that little child taking his first steps and focusing? You could think about the word or words you may be missing, and get frustrated. That’s like becoming too conscious of the steps you are taking and then, stumbling. Or you could focus more on connecting with the person in front of you, and get the gist of the conversation. This works!
Said another way, if you feel like you are stumbling in the conversation, consider that you are concentrating too hard. Take a deep breath, exhale longer than you inhale. Look outward to that person, and focus on connecting with them. Remember, words are only a small part of what is communicated in a conversation.
Please let me know what you discover.
Betty Vosters-Kemp
P.S. #1 If you find yourself stumbling more frequently in conversations, please call us at Avalon for an appointment to have your hearing and hearing aids checked. 85% of the time, we can help you hear more clearly with a cleaning, adjustment or an upgrade in your hearing aid fitting. This is a great place to start.
P.S. #2 What really matters to you? Your answer to this question will help you focus, and keep you stepping forward into your one, precious life!