Don't Rush To Offer Solutions

You hear someone's problems. Your first reaction is to help. So you offer solutions, complete with logical steps for implementation, and even volunteer to assist them through the process. Figuratively, you spoon-feed them. And yet they keep talking as if you never spoke. They keep circling back to their problems. As if no solution exists. As if you said nothing at all. As if you don't even exist. This happens because people aren't looking for solutions. They are looking for a space to vent. Your mistake is to offer them a solution. Offer them a shoulder instead. Be a good listener. Hear them out. Sometimes all they want is to talk. They are suffering from loneliness. They are looking for company. Not every problem requires a solution. Some just require attention. So pay attention. Resist the urge to offer one. Problems work as an excuse to talk to somebody. Solutions close that door on conversation. Someone looking for that opening will do everything to avoid arriving at a resolution.…