Connected

Is listening and hearing the same?

Let’s first do an exercise, close our eyes and say the word “listening”. How does that feel to you? Now do the same with the word “hearing”. Do they feel the same or different? Does the word “listening” tend to feel surface level, verses “hearing” seem to feel more internal?

When listening to someone you see or hear the words/sounds being spoken, but do you really digest it? Hearing feels a little more internal, meaning you are grasping what the person is saying, and feels like they are speaking to your inner circulatory system.

We’ve all been in those situations where your mind is wondering while someone is telling you something. So how do we take our mind to that wondering surface level stage, to that hearing and understanding stage.

1. Be open to hearing the words instead of them being surface level.
2. Realize what’s going on, acknowledge you are not hearing the person or the words that are being said because your focus is on something else. You don’t need to necessarily tell them but acknowledge within yourself what’s happening.
3. Drop into your heart space. Focus on the words/concepts that are being said within your gut/heart, so then you can form your own understanding. Are the words that are being spoken possibly help you with a concept or a question you’ve been working or wondering about, or possibly heal something that you’ve been carrying for years?

I’m guessing most, if not everyone, has had this situation where you are listening to someone, and you don’t hear anything they are saying. Then suddenly, this one word stands out to you. Your focus goes straight to that word, while it’s getting repeated in your brain. For example, someone may say the word “cells” and you instantly have a reaction. Your ears may perk up, maybe you felt a spark within your body, but it leaves you fixated on that one word. The question that you are asking is why….why “cells”?

Why out of the thousands of words that were said only one created that much energy? Did your brain just log off thinking about what’s for dinner at that exact moment the word “cells” was said? Was it just a coincidence? Is there may be a deeper meaning or reason why your body decided to perk up. If it is a deeper meaning, is it for you or someone else, or maybe even both?

Let’s talk about the word “trigger”. Many may think it’s a negative word, but is it?

Think about a triggering moment in your life. It may have been with a spouse, a co-worker, neighbor, or even a stranger on the phone. What kind of emotion did that bring up or feeling in your body? Did you take time to reflect and try to understand where that energy was coming from?

Have you ever heard the expression, “look in the mirror”, and no I’m not referring to looking in the mirror to see how cute you are? LOL! It’s about self-reflection. Many times, what irritates you the most about someone is actually yourself being reflected back to you. WHAT??!! Yes, I know! Sounds crazy at first, but then you start thinking about it and it makes sense. So, was the trigger word used consciously or unconsciously? Why would we trigger someone unconsciously?

We are all here to help each other thru this crazy journey we are all on. We are unconsciously giving each other hints of what is holding them back from evolving. Yes, it may cause the person that did the triggering to ask, “What just happened, I thought everything was fine”? The relationship may even need to pause for a moment while the person is reflecting, or for all parties involved to dive a little deeper. It all comes down to growth. Once you have an understanding you won’t be triggered for the same reason as you have learned that lesson. So next time this happens ask yourself, is there something I need to understand or know.

Maybe it is better to hear the individual instead of listening to them, to take in what they are saying. Then being open to hear what you need to learn.

As the saying goes, everything happens for a reason. Is there also, a teaching for everything?