Using all five senses to take notice

What would happen if we all used all five of our senses to notice what is really going on around us?

The Welsh poet WH Davies, in his poem ‘Leisure’, famously bemoaned the lack of time we take to just stop and stare. And even where we may take time to do that when at leisure, I know of very few people who take that time as part of their approach to work. 

But if we don’t stop and stare occasionally, what are we missing out on? On my morning exercise circuit, I must have walked past the same benches over 100 times before I noticed recently that one of them carried a small brass plaque that just said "Please forgive me". It really made me stop and stare. Who had put that there and why? Who were they seeking forgiveness from? Was it put there by a former inmate of Wormwood Scrubs prison a few streets away? My mind boggled.

As I walked another circuit and discovered it was part of a set of four benches that clockwise, each with a simple plaque, together reading as follows:

“I’m sorry

Please forgive me

I love you

Thank You”.

A whole new dimension of curiosity opened up. These four phrases make up the prayer of the traditional Hawai’ian Ho’oponopono practice of reconciliation and atonement – often repeated like a meditation. And there it was, a mystery appearance in my local park. Whether it’s been placed there as a personal act of seeking forgiveness, or as an offering to the local community, I still don’t know. But I love that my little local park has an active meditation practice built into it. Stopping and staring gave me this gift.

On Day 3 of #mentalhealthawarenessweek using the 5 Ways to Wellbeing in connection with nature, I’m also taking time to stop and touch and feel and just to breathe in. To take in the aromas of wild garlic, blackthorn blossom and the bluebells. And more than anything, stopping to listen. By switching off the podcast and putting the phone away and even stopping looking for a while but just listening instead, I’ve discovered that places I’m walking through are so much richer in bird life than I ever imagined. All those "little brown jobs" that had flitted past my multi-tasking consciousness slowly take more distinct form, not just as species - linnets, greenfinches, whitethroats, chiffchaffs and blackcaps – but as individuals with personalities and preferences for particular twigs and branches. A birdwatcher’s most useful accessory are not binoculars after all, but ears.  How do you ever find a goldcrest, our tiniest British bird? Learn its song.

As a former senior manager of a large team of staff, I know I did not always listen. And as a keen campaigner, I do like to use a megaphone at times. My desire to exert leadership, and a naturally extrovert character that loves to talk, and a passion for communication in general have often meant I’ve spoken too much and listened too little. Listening to birdsong, taking notice of what I’m hearing, has trained me to listen with real curiosity and desire to understand and to learn. Likewise, as coaches we train ourselves in the magical art asking powerful questions and then listening deeply to the answers. And when listening, we’re noticing the energies, the facial and bodily expressions, the words, the congruencies (or lack of them) and the energies that come with them. This means we are often able to break through the superficial nature of the problem, and get down to what is really going on, and what will create the clarity or breakthrough needed. And there is no better feeling when that “Aha” moment suddenly arrives. 

The third of the 5 Ways to Wellbeing is “Take Notice”. It’s reminding me to be mindful of all the multitasking now going on during online meetings that we would never do in a face-to-face meeting, and can get in the way of really listening or focussing on the issue at hand. What helps us to be truly present? How do we notice what is happening with our colleagues as well as focussing on the discussion itself?  For me, it's also about noticing more by getting out of our normal patterns – the same room, the same walk – and do something differently, take a different path, to use a different sense from our normal defaults. To use any or all of our senses – close yur eyes and listen or breathe in the smells. Just feel the breeze, the cold or the sun. Notice the colours, the shapes, the patterns and the sounds around us.  Take our shoes off and feel the ground beneath our feet or the freezing tingle of water. Whilst outside, to eschew the temptation to count steps, listen to another podcast or make another phone call, and instead just to listen to the birdsong, even if it is just pigeons and crows.

Which of your five senses do you work overtime, and which of them do you underuse? Have a go at working a different sensing muscle and see what you notice. Whatever catches your attention might bring insights to your own sense of purpose, to how you exert your own brand of authentic leadership in the workplace, or to particular relationships in your life. And you never know, you may discover something that has always been there, but you never noticed before.

About me. I work with values-led business and organisational leaders and teams to bring clarity and direction to the impact they want to have in their lives and their work - from strategy and team facilitation, to evaluations and reviews and one-to-one support. Every month, I open up 5 complimentary coaching sessions to support passionate changemakers in businesses or NGOs to find clarity, direction and purpose. If you'd like to discover more about working with me, send me a message in LinkedIn or email [email protected], and let's have a chat.