Listening to the
Voice of Your Heart
Each of us has two voices within us: the voice in our head and the voice in our heart.
Most of us are well-acquainted with the voice in our head. It's the busy, chattering narrator that rarely quiets down. When it’s not focused on a specific task, it fills the silence by commenting on what’s happening around us, replaying the past, worrying about the future, or imagining what others are thinking, especially about ourselves!
It also tries to predict what’s coming based on what’s already happened.
The voice in the heart is different. It’s quieter—more of a whisper or a felt sense than a stream of thoughts. It’s the intuitive voice of our deeper, wiser self. And while it often goes unnoticed, when we learn to tune in, it offers subtle—and sometimes not-so-subtle—clues about the best direction to take.
The voice of the heart can provide a more compassionate perspective on challenging situations. It often reveals creative solutions we might not have considered. When we begin to trust it, the heart becomes like an inner GPS—gently pointing us toward paths we may not have seen, or had the courage to take, on our own.
The voice in the heart often feels more about possibility than recreating the past.
But how do we begin to hear it? And how do we learn to trust what it says?
One of the simplest tools I’ve found is asking the question: “Does this make my heart feel bigger or smaller?” It’s remarkably effective.
Start with small decisions. Not sure whether to attend a social gathering? Deciding between two apartments? Place your hand on the center of your chest. Breathe slowly and deeply for a minute or two. Imagine something that brings a smile to your heart.
Bring the situation you are unsure about to mind, and ask yourself: Does this make my heart feel bigger—or smaller? If your heart feels bigger, more open, more spacious—consider exploring that direction, even if it doesn’t make logical sense.
The more you listen to that subtle felt-sense of knowing, the more the voice of your heart becomes a trusted inner guide. The goal isn’t to ignore the voice in your head—it’s to turn the volume down, just enough, so that the voice of your heart has room to speak. Then both perspectives can work together.
I’ve come to deeply trust this voice. Following its guidance hasn’t always been easy, and there have been times I didn’t want to hear what it had to say. But I have never once regretted following where it was nudging me— even when I didn’t know where it would lead, or how it would look to others.
And often—actually, many times—that quiet voice of the heart has led to synchronicities, unexpected clarity, and outcomes more beautiful than anything my mind could have imagined.