Babies are marvellous creatures.
Not only are they cute and innocent but in a matter of months they learn how to interact and respond with the world. That might sound simple enough but you have to appreciate that it took thousands of years for culture to reach where it is now. The mere fact that babies begin to say words at 8-10 months is a marvel. So how do they do it? And more importantly, what can we learn from them?
For one thing, babies do not have a past to compare their future experience to. Our tendency to self-reference only narrows our focus and we end up evaluating things based on self-established criteria. This sort of approach to learning may be useful in some situations, however at times the process requires having new eyes.
Secondly, babies are extremely fallible even though they may not know it. We recognize that do not hold them accountable for their mistakes.
Babies teach us how to:
Listen - It’s more than just hearing and waiting for the other person to finish. Truly listening means acknowledging, understanding and repeating till you get it right.
Watch - Have you ever looked into a child’s eyes and seen that sparkle? That is curiosity - long may it live.
“But why?” - Ask until it gets annoying, then ask some more. Ask till the cows come home. You’re a baby - you’re allowed to!
“Is it edible?” - Sometimes the stupidest questions are the smartest ones.
Cry! - There is nothing wrong with showing a bit of emotion. The fact is that we are more emotional that we would like to admit. Express those feelings from within and get reacquainted with yourself (just don’t do it in a meeting).
Laugh, sleep, enjoy - Because frankly, you only have one life and you might as well do something worth your while.
