LEADING BY LISTENING.

Can you touch hearts and minds by listening?

We see to the heart of the matter when we genuinely listen to another.

Listening in this way has everything to do with the other, and nothing to do with the other. It has everything to do with us, and nothing to do with us.

Authentic listening takes us beyond the distortions of our mental accumulation – our beliefs, opinions, judgements and knowledge.

In this state of clarity, we understand the other from a state of Possibility. We are hearing beyond the words expressed – exploring the ‘authentic self’ of the other, and the ‘authentic self’ in ourselves.

This quality of listening informs us when we are missing the deeper meaning behind the words used by the other.

This level of listening prompts questions from our state of Possibility, rather than assumptions from our conditioned mind. In the state of Possibility, we deepen mutual understanding, to explore the hidden reality behind the words expressed.

If we are indeed truly listening, we will ‘listen the other into being their authentic self’. We will hear their meaning, not our own.

In summary: If we, out of ingrained habit, attribute our own meaning to what others say, what we hear is simply a reflection of what we already think.

Instead, if we are perceptively listening, we are searching for what they believe, and thus what they truly mean.

When we listen in this way, a miracle occurs – the other person comes to understand themselves. And we come to understand them and ourselves in this mutual process of discovery.

A wonderous meeting of two minds occurs.

Warmly… John
The Realm of Possibility Foundation