What Are You Listening To?

"You didn't hear a word I just said, did you?"

My wife and I were watching one of the football games this past Sunday and I was playing on my iPad at the same time. She read me something, looked over and asked that very simple question. I had to admit that, no, I did not hear her. I missed the truly important because of the trivial.

This exchange got me thinking about what we listen to on a regular basis, both externally and internally.

Externally, who and what are you listening to on a regular basis? Are the people closest to you offering up good solid advice with your best interest and success as their intent or do they have, perhaps, their own self-interest in mind when providing you with free counsel? What are you watching on TV? What are you reading? What do you listen to in the car, at home, or when you workout?

Internally, what are the first thoughts you have when faced with a difficult decision or challenging situation. Are they negative or positive thoughts? Do they go directly to a worst- or best-case scenario? Do they point to a solution or just magnify the problem? We can learn a lot about ourselves if we simply reflect on the first thoughts that initially come into our minds.

We have many choices to make every day. What we choose to listen to is one of the most important.

Re-evaluate who's providing you advice. Consider their motives and intent. Years ago, I had a life-altering decision to make; stay in Minnesota or follow my dream to move to Texas. I had a lot of well-meaning friends offering me opinions of why Texas would be a really bad move. I knew it was what I was supposed to do and I'm so glad I didn't heed their warning. I can't imagine my life if I had listened to the people who wanted to keep me where I was instead of letting me pursue my destiny.

Consider what is coming into your mind through you eyes and ears. You can literally change the way the way you think if you'll change what goes into your mind. My philosophies and attitudes have radically changed since I stopped reading "fluff" and listening to pop culture personalities. With a focus on reading the Bible and listening to people like Zig Ziglar, Jim Rohn, and Joel Osteen, everything changed. Modifying my music preference from Top 40 to Contemporary Christian has had a profound, positive effect on me, also.

And, finally, listen to your internal voice. Get your own internal dialogue going. Question whether or not what you're saying to yourself is going to produce a positive or negative outcome. You have the power to choose how this conversation goes, what your ultimate response is, and what future conversations/outcomes will consist of.

Make these changes in what you're listening to and watch your entire outlook on life change in an extremely positive way.

"Blessed (happy, fortunate, prosperous, and enviable) is the man who walks and lives not in the counsel of the ungodly [following their advice, their plans and purposes], nor stands [submissive and inactive] in the path where sinners walk, nor sits down [to relax and rest] where the scornful [and the mockers] gather." Psalm 1:1 (AMP)