I hired a therapist several years ago to help me learn to stop crying when frustrated. After a time though, instead of me talking and her listening, she started sharing with me about her life. We are about the same age and probably would have been friends had we known each other socially. I remember so clearly sitting in my last appointment thinking that I was paying her to listen to me, not the reverse.

Years later, I carry that memory around with me and actively remind myself that my clients want to talk. They're paying me to listen to their story and only later tell them what to do. Listening is hard because I like to talk and I can talk for hours. My record is a 16-hour conversation on a road trip.

I also keep this in mind