Let’s face it. Life is quite simple when you really look at it. We all want the same thing: to love and be loved. Period. Beyond that I would add that we all want to be seen and heard and appreciated. We all want to feel connected and to feel meaning in those connections. Plus, being touched regularly is nice. Add to that some creative expression and you have a pretty rich life.

At the core of life is our communication with each other. What we say and don’t say. The messages we send out with our eyes, our expressions, our body language.

We crave connection. It is our life blood. Restrict that connection, and our being begins to wilt and wither, like a plant without sunlight.

Love needs to flow. In its pure unconditional state, it is expansive and inclusive. It continues to grow and build on itself. And to do that it must be expressed freely.

Love is abundant. It is everywhere. It is we who limit it with our conditions and possessiveness and definitions and boundaries. We cling to it out of fear of losing what we have or not getting what we want. We treat it as though it is a scarce commodity that will run out and dry up.

Communication is love’s channel. Listening and receiving and letting someone truly express who they are and be heard is a great gift, yet it is so rarely given. Like a delicious meal, conversation is meant to be lingered over, not rushed through.

You can discover hidden territories when you slow down enough to really speak and really listen. New ideas are born. Wisdom is revealed and shared. Wounds are healed.

Talking, when done for its own sake with grace, is a subtle, yet beautiful art, often neglected. Consciousness has been shifted by those who understand this art, and who know first how to listen and then how to speak.

Speaking up can be the most radical of actions. It can stir people up, inspire them and get them moving.

Silence is just as powerful.

Our voice and our words are incredible tools once we remember how to use them. Most of us hold back. We censor ourselves mercilessly, depriving others AND ourselves our deepest interiors, preferring instead to skim along the surface of life. No wonder we’re hungry with longing.

I propose the following: Listen harder and longer. Engage. Immerse yourself in another’s ideas and being. Really be there. Speak using your whole voice. Don’t hold back. Expose yourself. Be bold and brave. Whatever you do, bring something to the table. Make it worthwhile for the person(s) listening to you.

Broaden your circle. Don’t talk to the same people all the time. Seek out new people. In fact, make it a point to meet someone new every week or even every few days.

I guarantee you if you’re willing to expand your circle and go deep with people and really engage with them, that your consciousness and your life will begin to shift in miraculous ways. New opportunities will start to emerge that may even take you in a whole new direction.

And that is just the beginning; many great ideas have been born out of a single conversation.

This entry was posted on Friday, February 29th, 2008 at 9:53 pm and is filed under Being, Creativity, Relationships. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.