When I started listening on the inside, you won’t believe what I heard

Summary

The article emphasizes the importance of deep inner listening to enhance personal growth and leadership qualities.

Abstract

The article "When I started listening on the inside, you won’t believe what I heard" delves into the transformative power of becoming an "extravagant listener" by tuning into one's inner voice. It suggests that while we are often trained to listen actively to others for professional success, we rarely focus on the art of listening to ourselves. The author argues that by quieting the noise of the digital world and practicing stillness, we can hear the subtle vibrations of our heart, mind, body, and soul. This practice is not only a path to personal insight but also a foundation for becoming a magnetic leader who can offer profound care and support. The article encourages readers to engage in a brief exercise to experience their inner world and suggests that developing the skill of inner listening can lead to stronger leadership and a deeper connection with oneself and others.

Opinions

The author posits that corporate training often overlooks the importance of inner listening, focusing instead on listening for the sake of profit and success.
According to the article, becoming an extravagant listener involves crossing a threshold into an inner world filled with mystery, curiosity, and beauty.
The author believes that interior listeners grow into outward leaders who are more caring, loving, and supportive, conveying these qualities through their listening.
The article cites an ancient leader of the Israelites to underscore the spiritual significance of listening to the soul for vitality and life.
It is mentioned that in the hustle of our digital age, we rarely make time for silence and solitude, which are essential for inner listening.
The author references Henri Nouwen, emphasizing the modern ailment of an inability to sit in silence with oneself, and the transformative power of master

When I started listening on the inside, you won’t believe what I heard

Photo by Clipart Library

Discovering My Inner Voice

For years we have been taught, told, and trained that listening is critical to effective communication. We have been told in corporate training that we should practice listening on our teams, with our clients, and with those we lead. This feels like another corporate box I am supposed to check. We do this so that our work and client relationships will be successful and profitable. Rarely are we guided into the journey of becoming an extravagant listener.

Could there be a way to cross a threshold into an inner world of mystery, curiosity, and beauty? What might open up for us if we become an extravagant listener? And why would this be important?

Interior listeners grow into magnetic outward leaders that others want to work with. We often convey more transformative care, love, and support with our listening than we do with our words.

Listening to the Notes of Heart, Mind, Body, and Soul

An ancient leader of the Israelites reminds us to “listen that our souls may live.” What does it mean to do this interior listening? We listen to the still, quiet vibrations inside us; we listen to the sound of being ourselves. If we get still and quiet, we will begin to hear the voices in our mind and the feelings of our heart, the sensations of our body and the reverberations of our soul. For many of us this does not come easily. We have too much noise in our ever-present digital world of thousands of sound bites and images, Emojis and memes. We rarely have time and space to listen.

A beloved literary mentor, Henri Nouwen, said the greatest ailment of modern man is that he does not know how to sit in silence and solitude with himself. This developed skill, this artistry of listening to our inner landscapes is transformative. Here we first learn and develop the skill of listening. This inner listening will enable us to listen deeply to others whom we lead at work.

We grow into strong human leaders by first learning to become extravagant listeners to our own inner landscapes.

Practice Listening Now

Take a moment. Stop reading this article, and be quiet wherever you are. Set a two- or three-minute alarm on your smartphone. Be still and breathe. See what you notice. What did you hear? Did you hear and notice the brilliance of this extraordinary machine we call our human body? Could you hear and feel your heart beating, your lungs effortlessly expanding and contracting? Did you notice the feelings in your heart waiting to be expressed in this sophisticated emotional being?

Listening for the Voice of Your Soul

Can you hear the longings and desires of your soul? The pain and shame? The empty places? An expanse of beautiful inner landscapes is waiting to be noticed and discovered if you will get still, be quiet, and become curious. An inner world of wisdom, kindness, and direction waits for those who have ears to hear and intention to listen. Prepare to be amazed. Prepare to be awakened to your beautiful inner landscapes.

Extravagant inner listeners become extravagant outward human leaders.

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