Very cool that you’ve discovered the joy of mentoring at such a young age. It reminds me of this quote from a poem by Yates:
“While on the shop and street I gazed
My body of a sudden blazed;
And twenty minutes more or less
It seemed, so great my happiness,
That I was blessed and could bless.”
Learning how to listen is a huge step in improving your relationships. From there, you have to be open and non-judgmental and ask questions instead of assuming that you’ve really understood what the other person said. Many times, there can be a huge chasm between the thought and emotions we want to express, the way we express them, and how the other person (with their own perceptions, past baggage, and current state of mind) understands our message. And the deeper the relationship, the higher the expectation that your friend, relative, partner will perfectly understand and support you.
And when it comes to your girlfriend, there are huge differences in the way MOST men and MOST women communicate. Here is the first part of an article on how differently we communicate, and it starts with us as babies.