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Article location:http://www.fastcompany.com/blog/rochelle-mucha/organizational-aesthetics/reclaim-power-your-senses
April 8, 2008
Tags: Leadership, charisma, Leadership, trends

Reclaim the Power of Your Senses

By Rochelle Mucha

Have you ever witnessed a young infant smile at a stranger? The parent might turn and say, “She likes you”. How does that infant know that this is a person to smile for, or sometimes do the opposite - - turn away and cry. Babies do not read or write. They rely on their senses for information, and decide accordingly. Sensory knowing defines how we learn through our toddler years, and then slowly through socialization, we relinquish the power of our senses to conform to traditional ways of knowing and being. Our dependency on technology has further dulled our senses. I suggest it is time to reclaim the power of our senses, and cultivate that, which has atrophied. Time to understand that a conversation which leaves a ‘bad taste in your mouth’, is telling you something beyond uncomfortable taste buds. Time to absorb, assimilate and synthesize our daily experiences into meaningful knowing, being and doing. Are you sensory intelligent? Are you experiencing or existing? Are your responses rote or in the moment?