Listen to the Heart

“When we learn to manage our emotions long enough to stop and shift our attention to the quieter message of the heart, we can gain a wider perspective on any situation, often saving ourselves from hurt, frustration and pain.”

Listen to the heart. This does not mean giving in to whatever your heart desires—yes, of course there is a difference between that and really listening to the heart. We need to learn to do that to live in this world. We need to be able to listen to all points of view and still have our own. Really listening is what will help. You need to listen till you know that your heart has heard. And you do that by experiencing the entire gamut of emotions that runs through, you till there is strange stillness. Till you can see your pain, fears, happiness, needs as dispassionately as possible. That’s when you know that your heart is hearing what your ears cannot.

And when your heart has heard, you will be able to have your own point of view that will help you take the right action. We can’t limit the listening to our ears. Words can ring false and be either distorted or rendered worthless after the heat of the moment. The hearing of those words is not enough to help you have a point of view and take the right step in life.

Think about it:

When you feel you are in love you express it in words that fall flat with time.

When you are angry, you express it in words that lose their steam when calm settles in.

When you are sad, you express it in words that evaporate when the sun pushes the clouds away.

When you are happy, you express it in words that collapse at the first stab of pain.

Listen. Wait for while. Listen again. Don’t react. Listen once more. Give it an hour, a day, a week, and a month—till your heart has actually heard. You will know when your heart has heard. You will just know. There will be no tears, no pain—just a calmness and a steadfastness of purpose.

When you listen with your ears and mind alone, your heart beats for that instance alone, your words are temporary, lacking in depth, tinged with the emotions of the moment, devoid of foresight and your actions—well, you will regret them. When you listen well, till your heart hears, your words will have a wisdom beyond the ordinary - they will not be laced with pointless emotion and your actions will be in the right direction.