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Can You Hear Me?

Many who know me will recognise one of my favourite quotes “Use your ears and mouth in the ratio God gave them to you!”  And know how often I transpose that ratio – sorry!

But my ears pricked up when I heard Peter Lumley talk about ting – which I felt I just had to share. Apparently “ting” is the Chinese word for “to listen” so let me try and explain the four elements and how it is such a rich and challenging description. The symbol (shown) is in effect four elements: An ear, 10 eyes, a heart and a king.

1.  an ear –  to hear or listen;

2. 10 eyes – to look for the meaning;

3. a heart – to connect with the emotion;

4. a king – listen as if you had an audience with a monarch.

In my recent blog about leadership I called for our need to make time. We also must make time to listen and to listen actively. If we were to listen in this way it could be transformational in our relationships and work.

If you Google Ting – you’ll see some alternative interpretations –  I like the addition of a line to draw attention and the mind (instead of a king).

Learning to Love the Sounds of Silence

Although pauses and silence can often make us feel uncomfortable, I think we need more and to create time to listen to others’ silences and not just fill our cluttered lives with more noise.

There is also something about the rhythm and music of life but I’d really welcome your thoughts….