Be More Tree

A few readers got in touch about my recent post on why listening is such a great skill.

Interestingly each reader who got in touch mentioned that it was good to be reminded about the importance of listening.

They hadn't been taught anything new. But they had been reminded of a useful concept.

Quality listening is an age old idea that we all can benefit from. But it is definitely an old idea. I wasn't sharing a new idea.

There's no delegate from the Nobel Prize committee writing to ask about this amazing concept of listening I'd come up with.

Nothing New Under The Sun

Mark Twain once said “There is no such thing as a new idea. It is impossible. We simply take a lot of old ideas and put them into a sort of mental kaleidoscope. We give them a turn and they make new and curious combinations."

It is these curious combinations that make old ideas feel new and relevant. A new way of sharing something can make it feel fresh and contemporary. 

I really like fresh and new ways of sharing old ideas. They're fun. Like eating frogs.

Eating frogs is an accessible way of saying 'do the important things first'. Somehow it's easier and more palatable to 'eat a frog' than to simply crack on with that difficult task you've been avoiding.

Even though it's exactly the same thing!

New To You

It might be the case that there aren't any new ideas but when you learn about an old idea for the first time it is brand new to you.

And if you've forgotten an idea and then come across it again later then it might as well be new. Especially if it is presented in an original or appealing manner.

The Tree Of Life

'How To Be More Tree' by Liz Marvin is a lovely little book I bought a few weeks ago.

The subtitle is 'Essential Life Lessons for Perennial Happiness' and each page showcases a type of tree and its defining feature. A characteristic that we can relate to, learn from and possibly adopt in our own lives.

Personally I love a good metaphor and trees are perhaps the ultimate metaphorical subject. I'm a sucker for personification as well and there's plenty of that too.

From 400 million years of tree wisdom - adapting, surviving and thriving - there are plenty of tree characteristics that would be worth taking on board. I thought I'd share one.

The Elm

Ask For Help When You Need It

"The elm is not embarrassed to ask for help when it finds itself in a tricky situation.

When it comes under attack from caterpillars, it releases pheromones to attract parasitic wasps, who then lay their eggs inside the caterpillars and neutralise the threat.

We often think that self-reliance is the key to success, but the elm knows that you don't need to try to handle everything yourself.

Sometimes you just have to call in the wasps."

Be more tree. More elm in fact.