365 Exciting Ways to Live: Excitement # 83 : Fine Tune Your Observation Skill

 Fine Tune Your Observation Skill

A fool sees not the same tree that a wise man sees.

– William Blake

You should cultivate a keen observation skill. Our mind does not notice the same thing which our brain notices. There is a difference. We may be ‘looking’ but not ‘observing’. Looking is a mechanical brain-triggered process through our eyes. Observation is a mind process which takes place only when mind-wandering is arrested and the mind is made to focus on the thing on which the eyes are fixed.

Similar to writing or reading skills, you should develop observing skill also through systematic efforts. Next time when you are in a meeting, where someone is speaking, observe the following:

• The facial expression and the non verbal cues.
• The involvement and participation of others.
• The choice of words and how the same is used.
• The examples and metaphors that are used.
• The tonality and voice inflection.

With keen observation, the quality of your understanding is greatly enhanced. When you have to decide something very important, if you fail to observe something very critical, the quality of your decision making will suffer. This will result in an irreparable damage.

Evaluate the quality of your observation.

NC Sridharan
(From my book '365 Exciting Ways to Live')
www.thetimefoundation.com
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