Yes, those little gems that jingle in our pockets and weigh us down. I don’t collect coins, but one rarely ever passes through my clutch without me studying it, flipping it over to look at both sides. By now I’m pretty sure I know what I’ll see without actually looking. However, every now and then I’m quite surprised. It might be stamped with an old year that will have me pondering the coin’s origin and the road it has taken to end up in my possession. It might be a new design recently released by the US Mint of which I was unaware. It might be something fun and unique like the two-headed quarter I once found sifting through change from the machine at a laundromat (fyi- from what I read this is not a rare and valuable minting mistake but most likely from a joke shop). But I always look because even though I’m ninety-nine point nine percent sure I know what the other side will look like, there is always a chance I might be surprised. I might be enlightened.

That’s me; I always try to look at both sides of the coin. Maybe a better way to say it, I believe that there are two sides to every story, and I always try to look at the side I cannot clearly see because who knows what I might find?

Seeing the other side of a story is not as easy as flipping over a coin. First, you must be open to the other side. And then it demands a little more attention than a quick glance down at your palm. But if you are open to it, you should truly show interest in seeing the other side and listen to what the other person is saying instead of just waiting for them to finish so you can respond with what is probably some self-programmed response.

If it’s a hot topic of debate, make them defend their side. If you disagree or they don’t sway you simply say, “I respectfully disagree,” and tell them why. But, and this is very important, you must acknowledge their point of view. Accept their side of the story. Let them know you heard what they were saying and that you’ve given it consideration. Hopefully, they’ll act in kind to you without you needing to ask for the same respect. It then becomes a discussion rather than a debate or argument. And it may show you both something, which you were too blind to see.

This will also help you learn more about others. It could be just a small window into what makes them the person standing before you. And we will most likely learn a lot more about ourselves in the process. We will grow as individuals.

You will undoubtedly earn respect by listening more deliberately. I’ll bet you a flip of a coin you’ll be better for it. Heads you’ll be better, tails you won’t. Now, where did I put that two-headed quarter?