Each of us has a voice in our heads and a voice in our hearts. 

Most of us know the voice in our heads all too well. It is the busy, chattering voice that can be hard to turn off. When it is not actively engaged in a task, it is busy commenting on what is going on around us, on what we did in the past, and what we should do in the future, what people are thinking about us. The voice in our heads tries to predict what will happen in the future based on what has happened in the past. 

The voice in the heart is different. It is the intuitive voice of our deeper, wiser selves that speaks in whispers or a felt-sense knowing that is often not even noticed. If we are listening, it gives us subtle (and sometimes not so subtle!) clues about the best action to take. 

The voice of the heart can often provide a more compassionate perspective on a challenging situation and creative solutions to problems or dilemmas. When we learn to tune into the heart for guidance, it can become like our inner GPS, helping us recognize a path forward that we might otherwise have missed or chosen not to take. 

But how do we begin listening to and trusting the voice in our hearts? 

One of the easiest ways I have found is with the question, “Does it make my heart feel bigger or smaller?” This simple question can be remarkably effective. Try it with small things first. Can’t decide whether to go to a social gathering? Need to make a decision about which apartment to rent? Place your hand on the center of your chest and breathe slowly and deeply for a minute or two. Put your attention on the situation and tune into your heart. Does it make your heart feel bigger or does it make it feel smaller? 

If it feels bigger, consider exploring that direction, even if it doesn’t make logical, rational sense. By listening and trusting this subtle felt-sense awareness, the voice in our hearts becomes a reliable part of our inner guidance system. 

The more you practice, the easier it gets. The goal is not to ignore the voice in your head, it is to turn down the volume so that the voice in your heart can be a bigger part of the conversation of your life. 

I have come to completely trust this voice. Following its guidance has not always been easy and there were times when I did not want to hear what it had to say. But never once have I regretted following the path it was nudging me along, even if I had no idea where it would lead or how it would look to others. 

And sometimes – actually, many times – the voice of my heart led to amazing synchronicities and to events unfolding in ways that my mind could never could have imagined.