Listening Past The Words

There's more to listening than hearing. Find out more in this mini podcast.

Grasshopper Notes are the writings from America's Best Known Hypnotherapist John Morgan. His podcasts contain his most responded to essays and blog posts from the past two decades. 

Find the written versions of these podcasts on John's podcasting site: https://www.buzzsprout.com/1628038

"The Grasshopper" is the part of you that whispers pearls of wisdom that  seem to pop into your mind from out of the blue. John's essays and blog posts are his interpretations of these "Nips of Nectar." Others have labeled his writings as timeless wisdom. 

Most of the John's writings revolve around self improvement and self help. They address topics like:

• Mindfulness
• Peace of mind
• Creativity
• How to stay in the present moment
• Spirituality
• Behavior improvement

And stories that transform you to a wider sense of awareness that presents more options. And isn't that what we all want, more options? 

John uploads these podcasts on a regular basis. So check back often to hear these podcasts heard around the world. Who wants to be the next person to change? 

Make sure to order a copy of John's new book: WISDOM OF THE GRASSHOPPER – 21 Days to Creativity. These mini-meditations take you inside where all your creative resources live. And you'll come out not only refreshed but recommitted to creating your future. 

It's only $16.95 and available at BLURB.COM at the link below. https://www.blurb.com/b/10239673-wisd...

Also, download John's FREE book INTER RUPTION: The Magic Key To Lasting Change. It's available at John's website  https://GrasshopperNotes.com

Transcript

Listen Past The Words

There’s a big difference between hearing and listening. Hearing just . . . happens. Listening is a skill. And when you practice it, you start to pick up way more than just the words.

Great listeners don’t just use their ears. They listen with their whole body. They catch the tone, the pauses, the feeling underneath the language. They get the stuff you won’t find in a dictionary.

So how do you “listen with your whole body”?

First, turn off the little translator in your head. You know the one — the voice that’s busy parsing every sentence, trying to figure out what they really mean while they’re still talking. When you’re busy doing that, you’re not really with the other person anymore. You’re inside your head, talking to yourself, and you miss a lot.

Second, notice what your body is doing when someone speaks to you. Your body is like a human Geiger counter. It reacts. It vibrates. It gives you signals that don’t come through as words.

Let me give you an example.

I was on the phone with a woman who had three different options in front of her and couldn’t decide which way to go. I asked her to walk me through each one.

She used plenty of words, but I stopped focusing on the words alone. I didn’t rehearse what I was going to say next. I just listened. And I paid attention to how my body reacted as she spoke.

And it became obvious to me which option she wanted.

How did I know when she didn’t? One description had . . . more juice. When she talked about it, something in her and me lit up. The tone shifted. The energy changed. My “Geiger counter” picked up a different vibration. It wasn’t logic doing the work — it was feeling.

So if you really want to grasp what someone’s saying, don’t just listen for content. Pay attention to the feeling underneath it. Notice what your body is telling you. That’s how you listen past the words.

And when you do that, something powerful happens: the other person is more than heard.

All the best,
John