Average human “looks without
seeing, listens without hearing,
touches without feeling,
eats without tasting, moves
without physical awareness,
inhales without awareness
of odour or fragrance, and talks without thinking”
(Leonardo da Vinci)
We love to talk and are
often too busy thinking about what we’re going to say next, or too desperate to
get our own voices heard. We forget to stop and listen to what the other person
is saying. Basically, in general, we lost
the art of listening to God, to our inner voices, to one another, to nature
and everything around us. We “listens
without hearing.” Therefore, to unleash our creativity, we need to learn to
listen and really hearing what’s being said, taking it in, paying attention and
thinking about it. Ideas is all around us.
Wily W.Walnut, creative coach,
writes, “If you can learn to really
listen to the sounds of people's voices, the way in which they say things, you
will deduce things that others miss.” In the same way, like people’s
voices, if we listen carefully to the music that we adore, nature and sounds
around us, we may hear things that people might often ignored. When
we listen, we open doors for many ideas to flow. The practise of listening will
gives birth to some potential avenues for ideas interaction and for the
development of new ideas. Listening, I think, is the cornerstone of creative
activity.
Do you know how I come out
with ideas and motivations to write this blog? One of it is through listening. Literally,
I listen to audiobooks or audio talks every day. I listen to music, stories,
sermons, talks, seminars and conferences such as Talks at Google, TED Talks, The RSA, Big Think, Ideas at The House,
etc. Sometime I simply ‘steals’ people’s ideas during conversations, modified
it and come out with new and better ideas.
“I like to listen,”
explained Ernest Hemingway, “I have learned a
great deal from listening carefully. Most people never listen.” Maybe
you can try these “hearing” exercises to increase your creativity. Remember,
ideas is all around you.
§
First, detox your
hearing! Turn off or go off from your gadgets and just breathe. Be silent.
Refresh your ears every day.
§
Pause in the
midst of your daily life and just listen. Just become aware of all the
different sounds that you can hear. Sort through the sound and identify as many
unique sounds as you can.
§
Really sit down
with headphones and listen to your favourite audio lessons or songs. For example,
if you hear a song, don't sing along. Just listen. Try to hear the sounds in
the track as purely as possible. Let them be. Let them emerge as they wish to
and you just follow along.
§
Expand your
musical tastes. Varied your music genre. Try to enjoy Beethoven and Jason Mraz.
§
Go online. Download
free audiobooks, sermons, and talks and plug your earphone. Listen and learn.
§
Buy yourself a
cup of coffee or peanuts and listen to people talking and chatting. You can do
this in the mall, public park, sidewalk or on the street. And if you dare, you
may want to spark a conversation with strangers. Listen to what they say.
§
Go out into
nature. Listen. Let it teach you.
Listen and really hearing. Idea is all around you.
Lord, Give
Us Today Our Daily Idea(s)
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