Can You Hear

Acoustic listening devices developed for the Dutch army
as part of air defense systems research between World Wars 1 and 2.

"Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you'd have preferred to talk." - Doug Larson

There is a young man at a place of business I know who is very talented. So talented that he lets many of those around him know just how talented he is. I give him credit for being quite smart because he is certainly not an unschooled person.

All that schooling can deprive you of one technique - listening.

The importance of listening seems to have evaded him. Many of us know how to hear others but we fail to learn how to listen. Each day this young man would bring his lunch to the table of old men. Their tales and fables fill the noon hour with stories built upon life times of learning.

Learning from life experiences can be gleaned from the most mundane comments.

Some may say it is only old men talking of past glories and failures. Yet the young man competes for the air space of conversation. His 'aged wisdom' tripping over what could be lessons learned. The momentary silence between the talk has to be filled. The loss of what he could learn is immense by not listening.

Is his knowledge not relevant nor important.

Absolutely not as even the young can have insight which defies years of experience. But what one can learn by listening is lost on some. Whether it be the young or the old, we all can learn by ending our talking and by listening. Even at my age, I learn and absorb all that is around me.

The wise old owl sits in a tree at night. You can hear his hoot as he communicates with others. But if you listen carefully, his silence is greater then the sounds he makes. He is listening more than sounding a call.

The way we listen varies from intent absorption to engaged questioning. But anyway you can, listen and learn. You will find out so much more by doing so. In turn, you will find more that can improve life from what you hear.

Stay inspired my friends!

Learning to Listen

"When you are least willing to listen to others is exactly the time that you need to stop and listen." - Dean Sweetman

Have you ever found yourself in a situation in which you are moving head long into a situation while someone is trying to tell you not to? In your mind, you know exactly what you are doing and fail to see the need for anyone's advice.

All of us have had this shared experience.

My wife, two daughters and I were in Los Angeles to attend another daughter's wedding. We arrived late in the evening and after a long wait in the car rental facility, we were on our way. It was a tiring adventure due to the time change and having arrived late at night.

The goal was to find our hotel in the Burbank area. My keen sense of direction was performing fine for the first ten miles and then things started to go askew. I inexplicably missed getting onto Hwy 101 eastbound and then had a difficult time maneuvering from Hwy 134 towards the I-5 freeway.

Seems easy but unfamiliarity can breed confusion.

Getting from these freeways into Burbank and finding our hotel proved most difficult for me. My dogged pursuit kept trying to shut out the advice and direction of my wife and daughters.

It finally hit me that 'listening' might be a good thing. Once I did that, we successfully found the hotel by 12:30am or 3:30am eastern time; morning would come all too soon.

So take some advice; listening to and trusting others can have a positive impact on your life. Do not let pride or stubborn ignorance get in the way of learning something new.

Listening is an effective tool in life.

Stay inspired my friends.

What Did You Say

"No one would talk much in society, if he knew how often he misunderstands others." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

So often it happens, we say something and others misunderstand us. From that first step into conversation, things can go from good to bad. Hurt feelings, disagreement and at the extreme end, wars can occur.

There is an example that was relayed to me by a friend. It is a story of near misunderstanding that could have led to embarrassment or worse a business loss. A business man was traveling in China developing plans for a new project. With most of the formal meetings taken place already, the real business was to take place over a meal.

This happens in many cultures such that business gets sealed at those dinner engagement. It is the informal nature of 'breaking bread' with another person that gives you a deeper understanding or trust.

But when language barriers exist, misunderstanding can take place.

As happened with this person, his English was good but certainly not his Chinese. His interpreter had a heavy accent and did his best to keep the conversation and translation flowing.

When each dish is brought out, sometimes it could be seen what type of food was before him. Other dishes were more difficult to discern. In these situations, when food is offered, it is typically not a good idea to turn down at least the 'tasting' of each dish.

One dish was brought out and the interpreter did his best to explain this more difficult translation. He called it (pardon the verbiage), "penis wrapped in vegetable wrap."

At this point, what are you going to do?

You see, not much of an animal is wasted in Asian cooking and western observers may shudder at what is actually very good food. Yet making the wrong decision could cause a problem.

Do you refuse and storm away in disgust? Or do you boldly go forward and try the cuisine because they have not steered you wrong yet? This time, maybe you simply give it the benefit of doubt and press forward.

The businessman just smiled, took the food, ate it and said, "oh, peanuts wrapped in vegetable wrap!" The evening moved on without any further incident. The business deal was sealed and the business partnership has grown stronger.

Misunderstanding can occur daily, you will feel offended and hurt at times.

In the majority of these instances, it is due to a communication problem between two people. One did not explain themselves clearly or you did not listen properly. All of this is simply a symptom of two people not fully understanding the other.

Throughout your day, give others the benefit of doubt and ask again, this time listening more closely, with greater care in understanding. Boldly go forward and find your way through the misunderstanding. Life will be better for you and those involved.

Stay inspired my friends!

Watch the Snow

Watch your thoughts, for they become words.
Watch your words, for they become actions.
Watch your actions, for they become habits.
Watch your habits, for they become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.

Sometimes it is better to turn off the television and go to sleep.

And sometimes it is best to stop talking and listen.

Our lives are full of so much noise, most of which we generate ourselves.

Our actions get out ahead of our thinking.

Slow down once in a while and stay inspired my friends!

Did You Hear That

"Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you'd have preferred to talk." -Doug Larson

Wait, did you hear that?

Stop what you're doing, turn down the radio or TV and listen. At first it sounds like complete silence, but keep listening, the noises going on around you, the conversation in the distance, a plane going by overhead or maybe the bark of a dog.

It is difficult to hear all these different things when you do not stop and listen carefully.

Focus on the silence and think about when you are listening to someone speak to you. Are you focusing on what they are saying? If we don't listen carefully, we miss out on a chance to learn something new. J.W. Marriott, Jr. said and I paraphrase, "...one who doesn't listen well risks missing critical information, losing (or never winning) the confidence of the other and forfeiting opportunity."

There are times when I will sit in a quiet room and simply work on listening. Practicing how to focus on different sounds and trying to identify them. One of the things I work on is simply being still. It was said by someone that said, "...in order to say the right thing at the right time, keep still most of the time."

Listening to others comes very natural to some and can be a learned skill by others. But either way, listening is important to our daily lives. Try it some time - focus on the other person and absorb what they say, regardless of how slow or fast they may talk. Whether you agree or disagree with them, you may just learn or find new possibility.

Wait, I did hear that!

Stay inspired my friends.

Did You Hear That

“Part of doing something is listening. We are listening. To the sun. To the stars. To the wind.” ―Madeleine L'Engle

Wait, did you hear that? Stop what you're doing, turn down the radio or TV and listen. At first it sounds like complete silence. But keep listening, the noises going on around you, the conversation in the distance, a plane going by overhead or maybe the bark of a dog.

It is difficult to hear all of these different things when you don't stop and listen carefully. Focus on the silence and now think about when you are listening to someone speak to you. Are you focusing on what they are saying? If we don't listen carefully, we miss out on a chance to learn something new. J.W. Marriott, Jr. said and I paraphrase, "...one who doesn't listen well risks missing critical information, losing (or never winning) the confidence of the other and forfeiting opportunity."

There are times when I will sit in a quiet room and simply work on listening. Practicing how to focus on different sounds and trying to identify them. One of the things I work on is simply being still. It was said by someone that said, "...in order to say the right thing at the right time, keep still most of the time." Listening to others comes very natural to some and can be a learned skill by others. But either way, listening is important to our daily lives.

Try it some time - focus on the other person and absorb what it is they say. Regardless of how slowly or fast they may talk. Whether you agree or disagree with them, you may just learn or find new possibility. Wait, I did hear that!