Listen Deep
Commentary
Most of us probably never associate the creative process with listening. We experience writing, painting and singing as active processes. We perceive listening to be a passive process. Actually, listening is very active and engaging.
As creative leaders we need to be listening to the world around us and to the people within that world. By listening we learn to see the world for what it is. The better we understand our world the stronger creative leader we become. Those, who are so absorbed in themselves that that they do not listen, ultimately, lose touch with the world and become isolated and alone.
Learn to listen with your heart, your body, your soul, your mind and your spirit. Taste the different flavors of the world around you. Explore the dark crevices and the deep roots. Climb the highest trees and tread on the sandiest beaches. Taste the heights of the human spirit and the deepest valleys of the human heart. Listen with every pore in your flesh. Listen with every cell in your body.
"If you do not listen to your intuition, it will stop talking to you. Your intuition is like a sensitive friend. If you question it, censor it, judge it, it gets hurt and becomes silent." —Michelle Cassou
You have to train yourself to listen to your intuition because your rational mind is very strong and often discards your intuition immediately. In fact, it sometimes happens so fast that what you think is your intuition is actually your second on third thought. The rational mind can move very quickly to override intuition. Train yourself to grab hold of your intuition and not let go. Learn to trust your feelings and first thoughts.
And in the beginning you will often misunderstand your intuition. Be patient. It is okay to make mistakes. The problem is not that your intuition is wrong, but that your interpretation is not accurate. Sometimes it will take years to perfect listening to your intuition. Trust your heart.
“Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you would have preferred to talk.” —Doug Larson
My wife and I are opposites. She loves to talk and I prefer to listen. She and her sister sometimes talk simultaneously and neither seems to be listening to the other. When my wife was interviewing people for our book, It's Okay to Cry, she discovered that she often talked while others were talking. When she transcribed the audiotapes, she could not hear the other person because she was talking over her. She learned a valuable lesson about listening.
I have also discovered that talking can energize me. After giving a speech, I want to keep talking but there is no one to listen since everyone has fled. Talking helps me to think through my problems and come to a better understanding of what is on my mind.
While talking can sometimes help us understand ourselves, listening helps us understand others. And by understanding others, we will better understand ourselves. If we listen to the words of others, they will teach us about life — both what to do and what not to do.
When we spend our time talking, we become self-absorbed, caught up in our perceptions of the world, and unaware of those around us. Listening allows us to step outside ourselves and see the world through the eyes of others. Listening helps us grow and develop as compassionate, creative leaders.
Natalie Goldberg
Born January 4, 1948.
Lived in Brooklyn until she was six.
Moved to Farmington, Long Island.
Received a B.A. in English Literature from George Washington University.
Received a M.A in Humanities from St. John’s University.
She both paints and writes.
Dedicated teacher of writing and literature.
A serious practitioner of Zen since 1974.
Has written and published 5 books on writing, 4 memoirs and a novel.
Her book, Writing Down the Bones, has sold over a million copies.