The Power of Listening

Listening

I have recently rediscovered the power of listening.

Why is listening so powerful? Listening is something we do every moment of every day. Even when you are in a room all by yourself, there are external sounds and internal voices which you could listen to. As well, in any moment you could be listening to feedback from your actions in the form of the results you see in the world, or you could be listening to your intuition, the wise voice which emanates from your heart.

The question is - what are you choosing to listen to?

Most people spend most of their time listening to the little voice in their heads - the one you are very familiar with. It talks to you about everything that is going on in your life. This little voice is usually quite authoritative, as if it had the answer to the problems or struggles that you are encountering at that very moment.

My rediscovery is that this little voice is the whole source of the problems!

Why do I call it a rediscovery? I use this word simply because I know in my head all about the concept of the little voice and how non-supportive it can be. I have practised meditation, which was very good at amplifying the little voice in my head, and I have used and continue to use numerous techniques to interrupt my habit of listening to this little voice. Dispite all my efforts to not buy into the little voice in my head, I frequently get caught.

The awesome thing is that the more times I catch myself listening to the little voice instead of the wise one within me, the better I get at it! Just like anything else in life, practise works!

So essentially every time I make the choice to listen to the wise one instead of the little voice I have made a rediscovery! Tuning in to my heart - the wise one within me - has the incredible effect of totally transforming the moment.

For the past week I have been struggling to complete a project that I have promised would be done by the end of this week. Notice how I use the word struggle! I had to ask myself yet again - why am I struggling? Why am I CHOOSING to struggle? Is this helping me reach my goals?

By adding in the word 'choosing', I find that I am more empowered to make a different choice. Struggle is not just something that happens to me, even though I might not always see that when I am in the midst of it. So adding the word ‘choosing’ to the question helps me to take responsibility for my state, take responsibility for the struggle.

Let’s be honest, would anyone consciously choose to struggle?

No!

Well as soon as you see that struggle is a choice, you get to choose something different!

If you don’t even see it as a choice, then it is not!

I always find it so dramatic that when I reassert my power of choice, I can choose to listen to something other than the little voice in my head, the voice that creates struggle. The instant I make the choice my whole outlook shifts to a new place!

What was difficult a moment ago is instantly transformed into a creative challenge that I can jump into with vigor and enthusiasm and passion. I bet you can guess how different the result will be when I complete a project with enthusiasm as opposed to struggle.

All of us are on our own paths in life, but all our paths share some very similar traits. We all have to choose moment to moment what we want to listen to. We get to choose if we listen to the feedback we get from others and from our results in the world. We also get to choose which voice we listen to within! Do you listen to the little voice in your head or to the wise voice in your heart?

In this moment I choose to listen to the wise one.

I encourage you to make this choice too!

And remember, in every moment you get the opportunity to make a new choice!

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No matter how far you have gone down the wrong road, turn back! - Turkish Proverb