Are We Listening?
We are bombarded with tens of thousands of messages in multiple forms throughout each day. Each of us use filters to block, or sort through the messages in order to expedite understanding and the overall management of data within our lives. How well are we listening? What do we use to assure that we are paying attention and then acting on the important matters of our lives? There have been far too many times that I thought I was awake and aware only to find how I failed in both. The cost of this form of blindness is immense . . . the truth of this matter is that generally what we call blindness is not some cute area that we should get to when we can, but rather a killer that will destroy us and others if left unchecked. It is partial blindness, not sightlessness that we must address . . . each of us must clean away the obstructions that keep us from being empty, open and able to see what often is right before us.
A leaders first task is to acknowledge reality. Shall we begin?
RSS Feed
Rich Wilson said,
April 10, 2006 @ 5:46 am
Identifying and focusing on the “necessary” needs of our life is a
process that is often given a back seat. There is no intent to place it
in that position, but it is shoved there by our letting distractions
take precedence.
You are correct that we must not only keep our focus (sight), but that
we must also be aware that we can easily become blinded. I would offer,
however, that this is often more a case of being “blindsided.” We live
in a world and time of the immediate. Things rush at us at lightning
speed and all have a way of demanding our attention and subsequent
action.
So how do we keep from being blindsided without ignoring the external
distractions? I am not saying that external distractions are all
negative in nature. There are some that do not or are not related to our
lives. Others can and should be embraced. This is why we must filter
without ignoring. Often when we have a personal or professional need,
the answer is right before us but we become so insulated that we often
do not take the time to look. It’s becomes the life version of internet
SPAM. We find ourself deleting it all.
A tool that I use in various forms is based on the fundamentals of
marketing. What you see or do everyday will eventually cause a habit to
form. I keep a small colored dot on my watch, on my computer screen,
and on the rearview mirror of my vehicle. It reminds me each time that
I see it that I should, at that moment, offer a quick prayer and to
think about my personal goals and needs to ensure that what I am doing
is in line with what God has planned for me.
Lamont Moon said,
June 16, 2006 @ 3:28 am
I have heard it said that when lost in the woods the best thing to do is listen to the trees because they know the way. This somewhat cryptic expression suggests that unconditional presence to what is, and to the “now” of what some call co-emergence (the presence with both good and bad) will be telling of what is before us and maybe more importantly, what it within us. As we let our life speak to us as it needs to, we then have opportunity to act with authority that both originates within an authentic center of essence, but also is where our strength comes from. Activity is never the answer in and of itself, telesis is (progress that is intelligently planned and directed). How we experience this in my experience has lots to do with listening to the trees that are right in our midst.