The whole listening thing was a tough one for me to wrap my head around.  As a guy, its like we are wired to be fixers - when someone tells us about an issue they are dealing with, we immediately jump into problem-solving mode and  Im gonna solve this for you! But I have come to find thats often not what women want or need when they open up. She just need someone to listen and maybe give her a hug.

So now when a woman in my life shares something with me, I try to zip it and just listen, ask a few questions, and be there for her.  Its not easy rewiring my brain after a lifetime of trying to be Mr. Solution Guy.  But I think Im getting better at it.