Sounds Insightful: How Intentional Focus Allows Us to Be Better Listeners

Inhale…Exhale…

Common instructions found in the meditation and pranic breathing arenas, right? And there is absolutely a reason for that. But regard for and mastering the use of our breath, and furthermore, our own voices are something I think common society needs to understand in more detail, so as to be best armed with the tools that this full comprehension can afford them.

If anyone has ever worked in customer service, then you also know that not just the words you choose, but also the tone of those words can have a huge impact on how the person calling in perceives and receives you. Since there are no verbal cues to provide them further information, such as body language, for example, then the voice and the tone of that voice are really the only clues one has to go off to correctly determine whether or not the person on the other end of the line is genuinely happy to assist them, or placidly placing a fake smile on their face (which CAN be heard in your tone of voice) and just going with the punches because they’d like to get paid at the end of the week.

Now, if those factors alone were the basis of determining how to react, it might go pretty smoothly. But what if you’re calling in, hell-bent on giving someone a piece of your mind because you believe a hefty error was made? Those emotions are now over-riding your true ability to perceive and receive honest intentions.

What this means is if we are dead set on riding an emotion as far as we can, we often expect another to be the stop sign, the curb we hit that slows us down a bit, or perhaps even the wall we slam into. Whatever the case, as soon as let go of the awareness of the moment, our emotions are now driving and we’re sitting in the back seat arguing with ourselves. And then we get annoyed because, well…” how the hell did I get here?”

We can limit the powers and forces found everywhere in the Universe to mere metaphors from the “good book” or based off what our society and government have allotted acceptable for the masses to know…

Or we can learn not only to use them but to eventually become them.

A sound in itself is a vital piece of creation whether you’re religious or not. In fact, it is as important as it’s very own quantum counterpart, light. While light INforms, sound TRANSforms.

When we can speak with the mindfulness of being not only the speaker but the observant listener of our own words and tone, we open up a space that allows one to not immediately act or react from mere emotion, or reflect this back and forth in conversation, but rather to let yourself and the other person actually have a chance of being truly understood. 

This intentional focus is like bringing in a mental mediator that stops and asks you before you react or respond, “Are you sure you heard that right?” and while seemingly a small act, once developed into a habit will have you as intently concentrating on what others are saying as much as we do in regards to figuring out what we’re going to say next.

Common practice in communication is “half-listening”. You may be looking at the person in the eye, but be thinking of your upcoming vacation in Hawaii. This will, without your conscious awareness of it or not, eventually show on your OWN face and you will most likely snap out of your wandering thoughts with a very annoyed person standing in front of you.

Another way to “half-listen” is to just make a point to not talk while the other person is talking but actually ingrained in your own thoughts of how you’re going to respond.

However, when we go all in when it comes to listening, we might be surprised at what we hear. Where previous misunderstandings stood, we might instead start to hear a person’s broken heart on the other end, rather than their impression of lacking concern for you.

Basically, this opens up a whole new can of wormy awesomeness because it asks us to pay attention to not only what we’re asking, but how and why. And the more presence we put into the present moment, the clearer we can hear the melody of creative creation around us, just waiting to answer the call.

Tamara Rant is a Co-Editor/Writer for CLN as well as a Licensed Reiki Master, heart-centered Graphic Designer and a progressive voice in social media activism & awareness. She is an avid lover of all things Quantum Physics and Spirituality. Connect with Tamara by visiting Prana Paws/Healing Hearts Reiki or go to RantDesignMedia.com

Tamara posts new original articles to CLN every Saturday.

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This article was originally created and published by Conscious Life News and is published here under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Tamara Rant and ConsciousLifeNews.com. It may be re-posted freely with proper attribution, author bio, and this Copyright/Creative Commons statement.

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