How To Listen With Your Heart
“Listen and attend with the ear of your heart.” ~ Benedict of Nursia
Reading “How to Live: What the Rule of St. Benedict teaches us about happiness, meaning and community” by Judith Valente inspired me. I wondered, How do you listen with your heart?''
Three categories make way for a fulfilled life: Happiness, Meaning and Community. We want to feel good, do something with purpose and share with others.
Happiness is brought by silence so you can hear and process in peace. We are able to have inner peace when we take the time to figure out what fulfills our spirit. Happiness is an emotion that comes and goes, but if you focus on what you're yearning for in that silence, you will begin to scratch the surface of happiness. Do it and you will feel good.
Finding meaning is contingent on listening to what makes you happy. From there you can create a plan for what can continuously lead you in a state of happiness. Then you can follow through on the routine to make that happen. Allow yourself the opportunity to be in the moment. Those unexpected plans are often the ones you remember most because they are out of your ordinary. However, having a routine, with scheduled rest, allows you to make the most of your day and enjoy those offered moments of time. Having a balance of schedule and spontaneity gives you meaning to life and offers continuous moments of fulfillment and joy.
Sharing ourselves with others is what it means to be human. We are, at our core, social beings and having community brings us joy and a sense of belonging. Empathy allows us to understand others because we are all fighting something. Providing service brings us joy; however, we must stay within our own boundaries. If we give from an empty cup we aren’t helping anyone and we are actively hurting ourselves. Fill your cup with meaning and happiness and let the overflow pour to others.
By being able to listen in the silence you can understand yourself and empathize with others. This allows you to listen from the heart.
Peace and Love,
Anda
