Creatorship

Seeing the System

It's hard to feel connected at times, to see the impact of my one small
seemingly insignificant action.

Paper or Plastic (or why not cloth?)  Bottled water or or a reusable Sigg container? Does it really matter?

We are so immersed in our consumer society we don't see, can't see how huge an impact we have. Even when we do, what is the alternative?

I don't have an easy answer. I know that the first step is growing my awareness, feeling my connection to the whole. Knowing my actions are not in isolation. Knowing I am part of a greater Whole.

Chris Jordan uses art to awaken us to the fact we are not alone. I can no longer pretend it is just me doing something.

Check out his website for some astonishing facts and visuals [scroll down for the picutres].  And let yourself know that if our choices can create these pictures, we can, with our choices create a different one.

Why can't I see right through you?

"Physicists have discovered that the apparent solidity of matter is an illusion...this includes the physical body...99.9% of which is actually empty space...a microcosmic version of outer space.

To give you an idea of how vast the space is between celestial bodies, consider this:
Light traveling at a constant speed of 186,000 miles (300,000 kilometers) per second takes over one second to travel between the earth and the moon; light from the sun takes about eight minutes to reach the earth. Light from our nearest neighbor in space, a star call Proxima Centauri...travels for 4.5 years before it reaches the earth...Light from the galaxy closest to our own, the Andromeda Galaxy, takes 2.4 million years to reach us. Isn't is amazing that your body is just a spacious as the universe?"

What does it mean that that we're essentially space appearing solid? What other illusions do we live with, fight over and even die for? What if we started being a bit more curious and less certain about what appears to be obvious to us? Awesome!

quote from: A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose by Eckhart Tolle, 2005.

Remembering about learning

You're starting something new: a hobby, designing your first website or maybe even a new business. You're excited and then you realize you don't know what you are doing.

Recently I decided to learn tapestry weaving. Not having a clue where to start, I googled it and bought a "how-to" book. There were a lot of instructions which looked easy until I tried them.

Suddenly it was the difference between reading how to ride a bicycle and riding one. My efforts  were amateurish and awkward. 

I went to a weaving group to be among those who knew what they were doing. I was totally focused on the over-under stitch I was learning while others were talking and laughing as they casually worked.  My brow was knitted in concentration and I talked to myself,  "over-under, over-under..ooops what's wrong here it doesn't look right...darn how could I have messed this up, rip it out, over-under...."  Enemy of Learning #1: I want to be good now! 

When I got tired, I looked around and saw how really good the others are. These are fiber artists! How could I think I could be a part of this group? Enemy of Learning #2: I'll never be as good as them.

However, I was determined, so I continued after I left the group. I am working on little projects, learning how to maintain tension so the piece is even, what to do with those loose yarn ends, or how to start and finish a piece. My mind however says I should be doing more. Do all the exercises in the "how-to" book for example. Enemy of Learning #3: There's only one right way to do this and someone else knows it. 

Needless to say this experience has reacquainted me with what works (and what doesn't) when learning something new. I offer these humble words of wisdom for those of you embarking on new adventures:

1. I have learned to start where I am and keep going.
2. Don't compare myself to those who have been doing it for years.
3. Stay true to my inner guidance, the rest is just input.

I'm back to being excited and yes, enjoying the littles discoveries that someday, I too, will take for granted.

Tapestry from weavingart museum.

Deer oh Deer it's cold over here

The cold has brought the deer in to nibble on who knows what in the ivy patch in my backyard. My husband says ivy is too bitter for the deer to eat. However here they are.

I find myself thinking about what to plant this spring, wondering what will withstand the onslaught of our furry friends. I know we are all connected and maybe I should share, but I look for plants that are "deer resistant". Like the ivy I suppose, hmmm.

It was gray out yesterday. I felt the need to sit and be quiet. I resisted, making endless trips to the P.O. or bank just to get out. Under the surface of my awareness something was stirring. I wanted to be in the sun.

In a recent Opus cartoon they joked about NDD (Nature Deficit Disorder). Working at my computer I wonder about this.   How much of our mood is connected to NDD, the modern day self-imposed cabin fever?

Today the sun is out. My mood has improved and my restlessness abated.  Late yesterday I had a great conversation with a colleague on how to proceed with the creatorship model. The conversation answered the unspoken questions stirring under the surface earlier.

Moods come and go, the result of stray thoughts or meanderings. I remember I can use my memory of Spring. I use my imagination to re-create the feeling of being nourished by the sun, the smells, the greenery. Ah yes, happiness is an inside job.

[If you couldn't see the deer slide show, click here to go directly to Picasa.]

Picture from the VA TECH Weed Guide.

Intentional Chocolate

So chicken soup might work because of a mother's love and no, you shouldn't eat the food prepared by an irate cook.

In honor of Valentine's Day, here is Dean Radin's research on intention and chocolate. Once again I am humbled with the importance of the thoughts I send to my friends, family and the world.

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Dreams Matter

"What you want, wants you," Peter Ragnar  always says,

Yet I think identifying what we want is difficult. Too many have given up on their dreams, if indeed they ever knew them. My family was one of those who had survived the depression. Somewhere in their struggle to survive they became cautious and practical. No one talked about dreams or possibilities.

When it was time to decide what I wanted to be when I grew up, the options I knew about were limited and traditional: teacher, secretary, nurse, nun, medical technician, or housewife. Since I got good grades, I went to college (neither of my parents did but they believed education was the ticket up). After finding out I couldn't spell (there went secretary), and when I threw up in my Math final (there went medical technician) I was at a loss.  It was by chance I took a Psychology course and loved it. I changed to a psychology major which filled my last summer and senior year. This was the first step to becoming an organizational consultant.

Still, no one asked about my dreams.  Instead I focused on doing good work and focused on helping others have meaningful work.  I did this well but I also got burned out. We need our dreams, they feed us.

But I've gotten wiser over the years and I've started listening to what my life is about. I've come to believe that each of us has a set of gifts and interests to bring to the world. And although many will tell us what we love doesn't matter, that it is impractical or is dangerously selfish, I think they're wrong.

Today I'm a believer in setting intentions rooted in our dreams. Fellow blogger Deb Call has written a lovely piece about questions to ask oneself to get in touch with your heart wisdom. Sitting quietly and reflecting is truly the only way to hear you heart's guidance.

Dreams are often the missing element when people are working to earn a living. I just finished Matthew Kelly's book, The Dream Manager. He writes:

"Most employees feel like they are being used. But if you have...their best interests at heart, then you will reverse that belief.

You can ignore people's dreams, but it will be at your peril...Dreams are invisible, but powerful...they keep everything going." from The Dream Manager, Beacon Publishing, 2007.

Mathew's consulting firm works with organizations to establish Dream Manager programs, where it is someone's responsibility to meet with employees and help them realize their dreams. He believes, and so do I, that loyalty based on working for a pension and good retirement is dead. Instead there will be:

"[A] new breed of loyalty...based upon an understanding between employees and companies of one another's purpose--to become the-best-version-of-themselves."

These days being the best version of myself fits. As it says on the little post-it notes my friend Marta sent me:

BE YOURSELF...

WHO ELSE IS BETTER QUALIFIED?

 

I shop therefore I am?

These past seven years have raised serious questions about who we are as a people and country. What are our core values? How do we treat others in the world? How responsible our we with our wealth and the amazing abundance in this country. How dependent have we become on superficial symbols of our well-being?

A friend of mine, Ken Hazlin sent this information to me. Annie Leonard wrote a video piece about "stuff" that tracks its production, use and disposal. It is one of the best I've seen in mapping a complex system.  Like "The Secret" some things are stated simplistically to make a point. Also, it has a bit of the "these are the bad guys" flavor to it that I don't find helpful. Reality is always a bit more complex. Everyone has a role in perpetuating the system (like me and you), even those that appear to be victims. However, the video is well researched and it is thought provoking.

I'm not a "shop 'til you drop" kind of person but it's impossible not to be affected by the "more is better" culture we live in.

So if you haven't seen it, use 20 minutes of your time and watch it. Hang in there until you hit the "consumer" section which I found particularly disturbing. [Click here]

In the end there is only ONE BIG SYSTEM and what I do really does matter. So I ask myself questions:

• How often have I thrown something away (or given it to Goodwill so it feels better) that was still good? and more importantly, why?
• How much do I have invested in my life style vs. life?
• Recently I met a young college-aged girl who talked about her friends finding meaning in buying things. "What kind of meaning?" I wondered.  But then, I have to ask what takes me away from what is truly important? Distraction comes in many forms, including "doing stuff" not just buying it.

What to think about this more? Want to do something? Go to Annie's Resource page and you can find a fact sheet, a list of her references, and suggestions on how to change your life style.

Happy Birthday to Galba

Happy Birthday to Galba Bright who's blog on Emotional EQ is now a year old. EQ skills, made popular by Daniel Goleman, are key to being able to establish effective relationships. As Galba says," When you transform yourself, you transform your relationships with others..." Creatorship is all about relationships which are central to co-creating.

Growing up I was at the mercy of run-away emotions. Anger controlled me, Depression stopped me cold. I was my emotions I wasn't having them. I gradually learned that we have the incredible capability of shifting how we think and what we feel. Galba describes this personal journey as follows:

Sometimes your transformation brings a trailer load of changes all at once, like the proverbial queue of London buses. At other times, your deep commitment to personal transformation incubates for years and finally manifests itself as a “surprise.”

I remember the time when I was studying HeartMath and I really understood that if I could shift how I was feeling some of the time, I could do it all the time. All I needed was awareness and practice.

EQ to me is about freedom, freedom to think as I choose and feel the way I want to feel.

You can click here to read all of Galba's "Four Little Known Steps to Transform Yourself" and scroll down to his "Seven Laws of Emotional Intelligence." I found his 7 laws to be simply stated and a marvelous reminder of the power we have to create the experience we want in life.

Switching computers is like life

I've been mostly off line since late December trying to move my files, address books and finally website from my old PC to my new computer, a shiny new MacBook Pro laptop. These past weeks have provided several insights.

1. If you are going to make a big change, then you have to be willing to risk chaos. So many times I was using a new program or trying to transfer data and I got to the point if I hit the next button, something big was going to happen.  Either it would work or my files would disappear into cyber space. Each time my stomach would give that "uh oh" feeling and I had to decide whether to go ahead or not. It became a metaphor for life, the excitement of creating. You don't know how something is going to turn out until you do it. All you know is that what ever happens you'll deal with it and keep moving toward what you want.

2. Not liking the answer doesn't make it less true. My intuition is pretty reliable. But sometimes I just don't want to know.  I decided to try and sync my Palm with my Mac calendar which is prettier than the Palm calendar.  I got a clear sense (a different quieter voice than my "uh oh" fear response) that the directions provided wouldn't work. Knowing I was about to leave for a meeting, it seemed prudent to wait. BUT I DIDN'T WANT TO! So I chose to ignore that input thank you very much.

I got to the "click here to disable your conduits" moment and that intuitive voice said, "DON'T DO IT!" but I pushed on. Well it didn't work and my calendar would no longer sync. I couldn't find the file where the disabled conduits were supposedly stored.  I had to leave for my meeting wondering if I'd ever get back to where I'd started.  [Note: I did get it restored to the original set-up but I would have saved myself a lot of stress if I had listened and waited.] A corollary insight: there is a difference between the excitement of not knowing and the stress of doing something stupid.

3. I'm a Mac kind of girl. The Mac is every bit as fun as I remembered it. I went PC because of my corporate work when Macs and PCs just weren't compatible. Somehow giving up the Mac was symbolic; it was changing to fit in, something I felt I had to do a lot of. Reclaiming the Mac also seems symbolic. It's reclaiming my fun side and it's about my ability to be in my own skin more comfortably.

I am close to being back on line so to speak. Check out my new website which I just figured out how to upload from my Mac <grin>.

Note: photo from linuxhotbox.com

Can your thoughts change your blood?

Deliberately sending thoughts to another and measuring the result on some variable is one way of testing the impact of our thought.

The following link is Rebecca Marina and Dr. Felici's attempt to check the impact of thought on our blood. Although it is a sample of one so to speak, it is interesting.

Click here to see the YouTube videos of their experiment.

Creatorship is based on three scientific theories:

1. Thoughts affect people and things directly
2. We change in relationship with others
3. We live in a network of interdependent systems

It is in integrating what we are learning from these scientific areas that a new way of working will emerge.