Lets take the first

example. You can do

many things to

address your

environment such as

darkening the room,

participate in no

other activities, and

make sure outside

distractions such as a

phone, kids, or the

significant other can't

interfere with your

goal of listening to

music.

But...................

what about where

your mind is at. If

you have a hard

issue at work and

your mind is focused

on this issue, you

may never really

hear the music. The

difference is that you

may hear the notes

and words but not

experience the music

and the mood it

elicits in your inner

being. You can set

up your environment

to seem like you

have the opportunity

to actively listen but

in fact be far away

and not even

passively listening if

the truth were told.

Lets look at the

second example. You

may be surfing the

web and apparently

not really listening

very carefully but

actually hear the

words, melodies, and

interplay of the

music. You may be

inwardly connecting

with the music and

message but to the

outside world your

just playing around,

surfing the net, and

listening to music as

background filler. Do

you get the point?

Active and passive

listening are

mindsets and

attitudes in addition

to external

environments that

affect you. Your

attitude has a

greater impact on

how you connect with

the music and

experience the

message of the

music than the

external

environment. You

have to look at the

whole package

versus just trying to

manipulate your

environment and

surroundings.

Ohmmmmmm...............

How do you clear

your mind, focus your

attention, and get in

a state where the

music can sink into

you and affect a

transformational

experience in your

life? This isn't

necessarily easy to

accomplish but it can

make the difference

between actively

connecting with the

music and just

passively listening to

the music. There are

many methods that

are used to clear the

mind and focus our

energy toward a

specific goal. You can

use anything from

physical exercise, to

meditation, to yoga,

to prayer. We all

have different ways

of tuning out the

outside world and

focusing inward to

elicit peace, focus,

and a sense of

rejuvenation.

My point is that you

have a choice to