From where I sit it’s a beautiful, lest I say Carolina-blue-sky like, spring day.
The flowers are starting to bloom as are the flowering trees.
The azaleas are not quite out but you can almost hear them coming if you listen closely.
As I wander outside the birds have returned in bunches and the wind gently drifts through the pines. It’s funny to think of a season by its sounds and not its smells, or even sights, but springtime begs revival. There are a multitude of sounds that put a a pep in our step.
In fact, we likely listen more clearly and intently this time of year than others.
Maybe it’s the solitude of spring or the birds or the crack of a bat as baseball returns! It could be the hum of a plane overhead or the rumbling of the lawnmower as the neighbor kicks off the first mow of the season.
It is simple. But it is powerful.
Think about the beauty of using your senses!
How often do we rely on our senses in a deeper way? How often do we stop, pause, and soak in the wonder of sounds and sights, if only for a moment? Let’s talk about listening.
These days are filled with a cacophony of noise, from cell phones to television programs to Zoom calls. There are some days we just sleepwalk along, passing the hours hardly interacting with our fellow man (or even nature). Remember, scrolling used to mean reading an ancient papyrus, not mindlessly thumbing a technological device.
That’s the key.
You see, mindfulness and self-reflection, yoga, and meditation are all types of self-help that are beneficial, but we never seemed to crave as much as we do now.
Have you noticed that due to the pandemic and politics of our world today, we have all become caterpillars, unwilling to emerge from our cocoons?
Have you noticed that due to the pandemic and politics of our world today, we have all become caterpillars, unwilling to emerge from our cocoons? Click To Tweet
How do we emerge safely as butterflies?
It starts by listening.
Yes, we actually hear the person or persons with whom we are communicating.
At MD Coaches, listening is the foundation of what makes a great coach. To listen and not just hear, is a skill, a gift, and a talent, we can all pursue and try to improve upon.
Our coaches are trained to stay in the present moment when working with our clients. Instead of preparing a response while the other speaks, we listen to the words, the intonations, and even what is not being said.
With that conversation, there is a butterfly emerging from a cocoon, quietly, peacefully, and beautifully.
If you are considering coaching, take a moment to visualize the quiet butterfly out your window. If someone listened to you fully and completely, your inner butterfly would emerge as well.
What do you have to lose?
To COACH is but to LISTEN. To be COACHED is to be HEARD.
Think about it.
