Listen Yourself Alive Part 3

Listen Yourself Alive
Part 3

Recently, I gave a talk at a conference on Spirituality and Deep Listening in Prague - The Listening World Summit. My talk is called Listen Yourself Alive. The theme for the whole day was Why Does Listening Matter? and the overall theme for the conference was Listening That Connects.
 
Some of the people there use these principles in their corporate executive training work, their psychotherapy, for others, it's the basis of their performance coaching with high-level athletes.
 
Essentially, it's the core of conversations that change everything in people's lives, and this is the basis of my work with people who want more out of life.
 
Here is part three of my talk (if you haven't, go back two weeks to read parts one and two):
 
I have one other story to tell you about listening. 
 
My daughter started to have anxiety in grade 6, and there had been a death in her class the year before. Her friend group slowly, at first, became more and more focused on what was wrong. About them, about their appearance, about life in general. The more they focused and interacted together in this way, the more they all became anxious and depressed. My daughter quickly got to a point where she couldn't go out to the grocery store or the market anymore because she was having panic attacks. She skipped a lot of school because of this as well.
 
As she started to spiral down more and more, and nothing seemed to help her or even reach her, all I could hear within myself was to Listen.
 
"Just listen to her. Be with her. Just there. Don't say anything. Don't try to help her. Be as present as you know how". So, I did. I just listened. Without an agenda or even a goal.
 
It took a while, but she started to come out of the anxiety and into herself again. She started to hear herself and her own wisdom. A few times in sitting with her, listening, she would all of a sudden come to and shake her head. She'd say things like "Oh, where was I?" or "Oh, I was just up in my head too much", and off she'd go. Back to herself. Home.
 
She didn't need any fixing because she was never broken. She just needed to learn to slow down and come back to herself by being listened to. Natural listening in this way creates a space where the other person (or yourself) can hear themselves. This is powerful.
 
More recently, my daughter and I were doing some errands, driving around, and she turned to me and said, "You know, Mummy, you are the only one who really listens to me sometimes."
 
"And if you hadn't listened to me when you did, I don't know if I would be here now. I didn't want to be alive then. "
 
Earlier, I said that whatever you listen to comes alive.
 
She - came alive - in front of my eyes. She did it for herself. She listened herself back to life. Some of you have met her. She is glorious. And so very much herself.
 
I think a lot of us have stories like this where someone came back alive within their own selves.
 
So, I have a question for all of you.
 
If you know someone, whether it's yourself or someone else who is alive today, maybe literally or maybe alive from within, because they were listened to, I would ask you to stand up.
 
(At the conference, about a third to half the room stood up.)
 
Take a moment to look around. Each of us standing represents a human being who listened themselves alive.
 
Listening matters because people matter. The person next to you matters.
 
Listening matters because YOU matter.
 
This week's Experiment:
 
Give yourself some space. Listen to your thinking. Ramble on for a bit and witness it without judgment, without agenda, without a goal. Nothing is wrong to think or to say out loud, perhaps to a pet, a baby, or on a walk in nature. Give yourself a good listening to from a space of presence. See what arises from the quiet.
 

With Love, 

Sara Joy
 

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The Immersion Retreat is a rare opportunity to pause, reconnect, and awaken to the beauty of your own existence. As Joseph Campbell said, “What we’re all seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences resonate within our innermost being.”  This day is designed to help you feel that rapture of being alive, with effects that ripple through your life long after the retreat ends.

Uncover the simplicity of living in alignment with your true nature. Paired with nurturing bodywork, you’ll release tension and open to a renewed sense of possibility. This is for anyone ready to come alive to life.

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Wondering what Sara Joy is seeing fresh and new each day? Check out the Daily Muse - https://www.liveyouralivelife.com/daily-muse

Free Video Series! I recently created a free video series for clients and people wanting to know more about her work. This is "The Basics" about her approach and what she wishes everyone knew in life to live more alive in all areas. 
You can access it here: https://www.liveyouralivelife.com/. Just scroll down until you find Get Started - Free Mini Course

The Listening World Podcast - A World That Listens: Experiences in Deep Listening - Join Sara Joy O'Neill from The Listening World in conversations with thought leaders, fresh voices, and others about truly listening from the inside out. You can find the podcast on a few platforms, but here are two:
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3omzBIBBbKFslA5zpcUQiG?si=5d06e5a77e444115
YouTube: https://youtu.be/ZLFZ7J18RnM?si=qN4uxv6hqevzriu0