In my youth, I was told that we have two ears and one mouth, so we should listen twice as much as we speak. Maybe our greater listening skills isn’t in paying attention to what comes out of the mouths of others. Perhaps our greatest challenge is listening to the voices within. I’ve broken them down into three categories, the voice or reason, the voice of experience and the still-small voice.

The voice of reason is the voice that many refer to as common sense or logic. For example, this voice can be heard when there are children at play near a road. The speed limit says fifty, but you slow down to thirty-five. You slow down because you know how impulsive children can be. To avoid a tragic accident, your instincts kick in and you have the urge to decrease your speed and proceed with caution.

Second is the voice of experience. This is a voice that we can’t hear unless we’ve had the experience. I travel the same road almost every day of the week at different times of the day. I know when the traffic will be heaviest. I know what times the schools let out. I know about how long each light will take to change. If I must travel during heavy traffic hours, I know alternate roads to take so that I don’t get stuck. I know the routes because I’ve travelled them many times. However, if you were to travel the same road, you’d likely have to sit through the traffic. You’d have to sit there because you don’t have the experience of knowing which roads to avoid and how to get around them. That is the voice of experience. Caution: The voice of experience isn’t always right because certain anomalies can alter the status quo; however, it is still worth listening to as it can help to prevent you from repeating an undesirable experience.

Last but certainly not least is the still-small voice. Some refer to this voice as the voice of God, or guidance from your higher self. Regardless of what name it’s given, I’ve found it to be most profound. The voice seems to only be present when we are present. The voice can’t be heard when we are chaotic, which is likely the reason we rarely hear it. I find the voice speaks to me more often when my mind is still and centered on one intention. Even when I can’t hear the voice, I don’t believe it’s because it’s not there. I believe I simply can’t hear the voice because I’m not there. Not present that is. This voice has saved me much trouble and has guided me down better paths that I may have otherwise missed.

These voices are always speaking in attempt to guide us down the right path. All we have to do is learn to listen and we may find our lives much more pleasant.

Eric L. Lipsey
President/Co-Founder
Phoenix Business Development