Tag Archives: self improvement

5 Ways To Listen Better


In our louder and louder world, says sound expert Julian Treasure, “We are losing our listening.” In this short, fascinating talk, Treasure shares five ways to re-tune your ears for conscious listening — to other people and the world around you.

Julian Treasure studies sound and helps people and businesses to listen, speak and use sound well.
This talk was presented at an official TED conference. For the Silo, David J. Hensley.

Transcript


00:03
We are losing our listening. We spend roughly 60 percent of our communication time listening, but we’re not very good at it. We retain just 25 percent of what we hear. Now — not you, not this talk, but that is generally true.
00:18
(Laughter)
00:19
Let’s define listening as making meaning from sound. It’s a mental process, and it’s a process of extraction.
00:27
We use some pretty cool techniques to do this. One of them is pattern recognition. (Crowd noises) So in a cocktail party like this, if I say, “David, Sara, pay attention” — some of you just sat up. We recognize patterns to distinguish noise from signal, and especially our name. Differencing is another technique we use. If I left this pink noise on for more than a couple of minutes, (Pink noise) you would literally cease to hear it. We listen to differences; we discount sounds that remain the same.
00:56
And then there is a whole range of filters. These filters take us from all sound down to what we pay attention to. Most people are entirely unconscious of these filters. But they actually create our reality in a way, because they tell us what we’re paying attention to right now. I’ll give you one example of that. Intention is very important in sound, in listening. When I married my wife, I promised her I would listen to her every day as if for the first time. Now that’s something I fall short of on a daily basis.
01:28
(Laughter)
01:29
But it’s a great intention to have in a relationship.
01:32
(Laughter)
01:34
But that’s not all. Sound places us in space and in time. If you close your eyes right now in this room, you’re aware of the size of the room from the reverberation and the bouncing of the sound off the surfaces; you’re aware of how many people are around you, because of the micro-noises you’re receiving. And sound places us in time as well, because sound always has time embedded in it. In fact, I would suggest that our listening is the main way that we experience the flow of time from past to future. So, “Sonority is time and meaning” — a great quote.
02:08
I said at the beginning, we’re losing our listening. Why did I say that? Well, there are a lot of reasons for this. First of all, we invented ways of recording — first writing, then audio recording and now video recording as well. The premium on accurate and careful listening has simply disappeared. Secondly, the world is now so noisy, (Noise) with this cacophony going on visually and auditorily, it’s just hard to listen; it’s tiring to listen. Many people take refuge in headphones, but they turn big, public spaces like this, shared soundscapes, into millions of tiny, little personal sound bubbles. In this scenario, nobody’s listening to anybody.
02:51
We’re becoming impatient. We don’t want oratory anymore; we want sound bites. And the art of conversation is being replaced — dangerously, I think — by personal broadcasting. I don’t know how much listening there is in this conversation, which is sadly very common, especially in the UK. We’re becoming desensitized. Our media have to scream at us with these kinds of headlines in order to get our attention. And that means it’s harder for us to pay attention to the quiet, the subtle, the understated.
03:23
This is a serious problem that we’re losing our listening. This is not trivial, because listening is our access to understanding. Conscious listening always creates understanding, and only without conscious listening can these things happen. A world where we don’t listen to each other at all is a very scary place indeed. So I’d like to share with you five simple exercises, tools you can take away with you, to improve your own conscious listening. Would you like that?
03:55
Audience: Yes!
03:56
Good. The first one is silence. Just three minutes a day of silence is a wonderful exercise to reset your ears and to recalibrate, so that you can hear the quiet again. If you can’t get absolute silence, go for quiet, that’s absolutely fine.
04:13
Second, I call this “the mixer.” (Noise) So even if you’re in a noisy environment like this — and we all spend a lot of time in places like this — listen in the coffee bar to how many channels of sound can I hear? How many individual channels in that mix am I listening to? You can do it in a beautiful place as well, like in a lake. How many birds am I hearing? Where are they? Where are those ripples? It’s a great exercise for improving the quality of your listening.
04:40
Third, this exercise I call “savoring,” and this is a beautiful exercise. It’s about enjoying mundane sounds. This, for example, is my tumble dryer.
04:49
(Dryer)
04:50
It’s a waltz — one, two, three; one, two, three; one, two, three. I love it! Or just try this one on for size.
04:58
(Coffee grinder)
05:07
Wow! So, mundane sounds can be really interesting — if you pay attention. I call that the “hidden choir” — it’s around us all the time.
05:16
The next exercise is probably the most important of all of these, if you just take one thing away. This is listening positions — the idea that you can move your listening position to what’s appropriate to what you’re listening to. This is playing with those filters. Remember I gave you those filters? It’s starting to play with them as levers, to get conscious about them and to move to different places. These are just some of the listening positions, or scales of listening positions, that you can use. There are many. Have fun with that. It’s very exciting.
05:46
And finally, an acronym. You can use this in listening, in communication. If you’re in any one of those roles — and I think that probably is everybody who’s listening to this talk — the acronym is RASA, which is the Sanskrit word for “juice” or “essence.” And RASA stands for “Receive,” which means pay attention to the person; “Appreciate,” making little noises like “hmm,” “oh,” “OK”; “Summarize” — the word “so” is very important in communication; and “Ask,” ask questions afterwards.
06:18
Now sound is my passion, it’s my life. I wrote a whole book about it. So I live to listen. That’s too much to ask for most people. But I believe that every human being needs to listen consciously in order to live fully — connected in space and in time to the physical world around us, connected in understanding to each other, not to mention spiritually connected, because every spiritual path I know of has listening and contemplation at its heart.
06:46
That’s why we need to teach listening in our schools as a skill. Why is it not taught? It’s crazy. And if we can teach listening in our schools, we can take our listening off that slippery slope to that dangerous, scary world that I talked about, and move it to a place where everybody is consciously listening all the time, or at least capable of doing it.
07:07
Now, I don’t know how to do that, but this is TED, and I think the TED community is capable of anything. So I invite you to connect with me, connect with each other, take this mission out. And let’s get listening taught in schools, and transform the world in one generation to a conscious, listening world — a world of connection, a world of understanding and a world of peace.
07:29
Thank you for listening to me today.

African Shaman- Devotion To Your Business Is Key To Success

What does it take to make $1 Million Dollars at a business in just six months? Devotion. However, according to one expert, devotion and commitment are two totally different things.

Makhosi Nejeser, known as “The Royal Shaman”, is an authentic African shaman specializing in energetic alignment and human potential.  She helps individuals create powerful transformations amplifying success and mentors high performing entrepreneurs. Makhosi is being recognized as a Spiritual Guide For Business Empires. Asked about devotion versus commitment she said:

“You have to be all in. Devotion is that. It’s the same thing that generates $1M in revenue.

Right now, as a society we suck at this.

Devotion is a different energy. When you’re devoted to something you’re approaching it with your whole heart. Commitment is about what you can get out of a situation. Devotion is about what you can give. Commitment equals responsibility while devotion is love.  

It’s the ones that are devoted to their message and vision that really win big.”

With years of experience in mental & spiritual wellness, Makhosi can give valuable insight on:

  • Her journey from making $8/hour to generating $1M in revenue over just 6 months
  • Becoming your best by taking aligned action and implementing incremental change
  • Turning obstacles into opportunities and portals of evolution that improve yourself
  • How using integration can bring fulfillment, freedom, and mastery to your life
  • Understanding the energetic blueprint to reach your greatest human potential
  • Rewiring C-Suite executives and guiding their teams to maximize themselves

Referred to as “The Get Sh*t Done Shaman” by Refinery29, profiled in Business Insider, and featured for her expertise in POPSUGAR, Entrepreneur, Authority, Thrive Global, Nicki Swift, and on LA news station KTLA 5, Makhosi can provide incredible insight.

How To Setup A Low Budget Home Gym

Back in college, I used to be very fit.

I swam three times a week, ran a few miles every other day and on weekends, I would bike with friends. There was not an ounce of fat in my body. But as years passed, I became too busy with work and eventually with raising a family that exercise became less important and I didn’t bother going to the gym. It came to a point when I saw myself in the mirror and hardly recognized my own body. In a span of 14 years, I gained over a hundred pounds. Plus Minus 100 Pounds Man ExampleI realized I needed to do something about it and fast. So I browsed the best online shopping sites looking for affordable gym equipment that I could just set up at home. I can’t go to a gym because, well…… Covid duh! Plus  I can only workout in the wee hours of the morning when everyone else in my home is still fast asleep.

Start Cheap

Many of my friends made the mistake of investing in equipment that cost over a thousand dollars and ended up not using them anyway. The truth of the matter is that it’s very possible to create a home gym for very little money. In doing so, you won’t be wasting money in case you find yourself not using your home gym and if you do decide to fully commit yourself to a healthy and active lifestyle then you can always upgrade your equipment and machines in the future.

The following are the most essential things you’ll need:

1. Private Space

It’s difficult to work out when you have screaming kids running around you. Ideally, pick a room with a door so that you can exercise uninterrupted.

2. Full-Length Mirror

Being able to see yourself working out is a great motivator and it’s also a good way to check your form and technique. You can buy a full-length mirror for around $20 – $30.

3. Weights

Every home gym should have a set of dumbbells. For women, start with 5, 10 and 15 lbs. Men should use heavier weights. Or you can get an adjustable dumbbell that will enable you to add or swap weights easily.

Okay some old school equip has seen it's day but don't dismiss all vintage gym gear!
Okay some old school equip has seen it’s day but don’t dismiss all vintage gym gear!

4. Stability Ball

Old school trainers would never recommend the use of a stability ball but it’s actually very popular among fitness experts today. With a stability ball, you can improve your core strength and balance. Besides, there are many exercises you can do with this ball – body bridges, squats, crunches, hamstring curls, and others.

5. Resistance Bands

These bands are very versatile despite looking plain and simple. You can strap it to a door, bench or table to do squats, chest presses, and lat pull-downs, to name a few.

6. Cardio

You can get a skipping rope so that you can do cardio exercises in your home gym. Or you can just go outside to run, jog or walk. Cardio exercises are essential to help your body burn fat faster. For the Silo, Dimitry Karloff.

Supplemental– Looking for some examples of cool home gyms on a budget?

Life Lessons Everyone Can Learn From Olympic Athletes

All eyes were on Rio for two weeks when the world’s greatest athletes competed in the 2016 Summer Games. Next years Summer Olympics look to be no different. While it’s great to enjoy the games, there are actually some very important lessons that everyone can learn from watching Olympic athletes.

Steve Siebold
Steve Siebold

Steve Siebold, a former professional athlete, psychological performance coach and author of 177 Mental Toughness Secrets of The World Class, says there are 10 important lessons we can all learn about success from Olympic athletes:

  1. They never stop learning: Olympic athletes are at the top of their games because they spend so much time practicing, watching replays of their performance and strategizing with their coaches. If you want to be the best at something, you must commit yourself to being a student for life.

2. They overcome obstacles: When most people run into an obstacle, they seek escape.  Olympic athletes have a plan to push forward when this happens and learn all they can from the challenge.  They know facing adversity is part of being successful.

You can beat adversity! The no1 ranked player lost to skill and mental toughness.
Click me! You can beat adversity! The 2016 #1 ranked player lost to skill and mental toughness.

  1. They think big: Ask most people what they’re thinking at any given time, and you might be surprised to learn how many think about just getting by.  That’s called selling yourself short.  If you ask every athlete in Rio if they think they are going to win the gold, they would all tell you ‘yes.’ They fully believe in themselves and their abilities, and nothing you could say will talk them out of it. They think big and therefore get big results.
  1. They know consciousness is contagious. Olympic athletes live together and spend so much time together because consciousness is contagious. Your level of success in any area of your life is most likely the same as the people you spend the most time with.  If you want to be better at something, get around people who push you to greatness.
  1. They are consistently great.  The reason Olympians are so consistent is because their actions are congruent with their thought processes.  They have a very clear mental picture of what they want, why they want it and how to move closer to their target objective.  Do you?
  1. They compartmentalize their emotions.  In other words, Olympic athletes have the ability to put aside anything else going on at that very moment, and focus only on the task in front of them: winning the gold.
  1. They know very good is bad.  For the average person, to be classified as very good is something to be proud of.  For the great ones like Olympians, it’s an insult. Don’t settle for mediocrity. Why just be happy with the bronze or silver when you can go for the gold?
  1. They are held accountable: Olympic athletes are held accountable on so many levels.  One of the biggest problems is that most people have no means of accountability or a support system in place when it comes to what they’re trying to accomplish. Whether it’s losing weight, making more money or anything else, being held accountable changes everything.
  1. They know it’s their desire that counts. Olympic athletes know winning isn’t everything.  It’s wanting to win that counts.  Olympians have a “whatever it takes” attitude.  They’ve made the decision to pay any price and bear any burden in the name of victory.
  1. They are comeback artists: While most people are demoralized by setbacks and defeat, Olympians know that large scale success is based on a series of comebacks. Emotionally speaking, they don’t understand the concept of giving up. On the physical plane, they have perseverance. On the mental plane, they have toughness.  On the spiritual plane, we call it artistry. For the Silo, Jack Allen.

Supplemental- Top Ten All Time Sporting Upsets

PANDORA Jewelry Wants Candid Women In Action Photos

Toronto, September, 2017 – This Autumn, PANDORA reveals ‘DO See The Wonderful’, a multifaceted campaign set to inspire women to see the wonderful in their everyday. To bring this concept to life, PANDORA reveals the results of its partnership with three renowned photographers – Sandra Semburg, Liz Sunshine and Meredith Jenks.

Triggered by a global research study that found 80% of women are inspired by photography which celebrate life’s everyday triumphs, these photographers were challenged to capture candid imagery of women from all over the world enjoying everyday moments. The campaign launches in conjunction with the Autumn 2017 collection – a selection of beautiful, hand-finished jewelry designed to mark the wonderful in women’s lives.

Every day we experience approximately 20,000 individual moments lasting a few seconds each, yet we often move from one moment to the next without acknowledging our accomplishments. Through this campaign, PANDORA kicks  off a global conversation about women’s everyday triumphs; from the life changing, such as starting a new job or having a child, right through to daily personal achievements, such as baking a cake or completing a charity bike ride. The ‘DO See The Wonderful’ photography encourages women to see joy in these everyday special moments.

“At PANDORA, we want women to celebrate all the wonderful things they and other women DO each day because these moments represent important fragments of their multifaceted lives. PANDORA jewellery can act as a symbol of these everyday achievements and the things we cherish,” explains Minna Philipson, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer at PANDORA.

Individually known for their inspiring styles of photography, Sandra Semburg, Liz Sunshine and Meredith Jenks capture women showing the wonder in what they achieve every day in spontaneous and authentic shots. Fashion and portrait photographer Sandra took animated portraits of women in London and Berlin, Australian-based documentary photographer Liz took to the streets of Sydney and Hong Kong to find candid moments of women in action, while Brooklyn-based Meredith, who aims to capture special moments as they unfold, shot photos in New York and Sao Paulo.

Today, PANDORA is calling on all women to get involved in the #DOSeeTheWonderful challenge by capturing precious, every day wonderful moments and sharing them with PANDORA via the hashtag #DOSeeTheWonderful and tagging @theofficialpandora.

The Autumn 2017 collection launch is also supported by a compelling TV campaign, and through a series of official campaign imagery to inspire women to celebrate everyday life triumphs. For the Silo, Daniella Etienne.

ABOUT PANDORA

World-renowned for its hand-finished and contemporary jewelry at affordable prices, PANDORA designs, manufactures and markets jewellery made from high-quality materials. Inspiring women to embrace their individuality and express their personal style, PANDORA’s stylish and feminine jewelry captures the unforgettable moments and personal values in life. PANDORA’s unique and detailed designs combining traditional craftsmanship with modern technology are sold in more than 100 countries across six continents through approximately 8,100 points of sale, including more than 2,100 concept stores. Founded in 1982 and headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, PANDORA employs more than 21,500 people worldwide of whom approximately 12,400 are located in Thailand, where the company manufactures its jewelry. PANDORA is publicly listed on the NASDAQ Copenhagen stock exchange in Denmark. In 2016, PANDORA’s total revenue was DKK 20.3 billion (approximately EUR 2.7 billion).

Cet automne, PANDORA lance « À vous d’oser voir le merveilleux », une campagne à plusieurs volets visant à inspirer les femmes à voir le merveilleux dans leur quotidien.

This Quiz Helps You Discover Your Perfect Gap Year

Hello There! Everyone dreams of taking some time off to travel. However, before settling on the location or how long you intend to stay abroad, as an intrepid explorer you should be thinking about exactly what type of gap year is right for you.

Perhaps you’re looking to explore off the beaten track? Add to your CV? Maybe you want to earn your own way as you travel?

Our friends at gapmedics.com have put together this quiz to help you make this tricky decision. For the Silo,  Isabel Swift.