An Invocation for New Beginnings by Ze Frank
Beginning is scary. Watch this amazing video and see if it helps you.
Insight
“Change will lead to insight far more often
than insight will lead to change.” ~Milton Erickson
Be Who You Need To Be
In my last post I talked about adopting the mindset of the person you want to be – creating an identity of being Runner, a Writer, a Chef or whatever you want. It’s scary, and even risky to do that. How could you possibly dare to think that you’re a _____________?
I found the following two quotes from Chilean philosopher and consultant Fernando Flores a very inspiring way to get me started on a rainy cold Sunday in Maine.
You have to be able to risk your identity for a bigger future than the present you are living. Be who you need to be in the moment.
Be who you NEED to be IN THE MOMENT. What do you think?
You Are Not Your Resume
You are a collection of mindsets.
One definition of mindset is: the ideas and attitudes with which a person approaches a situation.
Different jobs/professions have different mindsets. A teacher has a different mindset than a policeman. A chef has a different mindset than a delivery truck driver. The examples are endless.
Think of all the different jobs you have had, roles you have played, companies you have worked in. Each of them had their particular mindset. If you stayed in that job long enough to learn to think like a (fill in the blank) ______, then that mindset is a part of who you are now and how you think.
Here’s a neat little exercise. Make a list of all the different jobs you have held and roles you have played. Make a mindmap and put yourself in the center. And then spend some time reflecting how each of those components work together to form your current mindset.
Clients often come to me because they want to do more of some activity in their life. More writing, more running, more organization, be _______. My response is if you want to do more running in your life, the first step is to decide that you are a Runner. What do Runners do? They run. When people ask what you do, tell them you are an Accountant and a Runner. Read about Runners. Study Runners. How do they think, how do they act? (Put it on your business card if you want to be extreme about it). Adopt the mindset of a Runner. And you will find yourself running.
I’d love your comments, and maybe even a link to your mindmap. Mine is in the upper left of this post.
Unleash the Artist Inside
“The most visible creators I know of are those artists whose medium is life itself, the ones who express the inexpressible – without brush, hammer, clay or guitar. They neither paint nor sculpt – their medium is being. Whatever their presence touches has increased life. They see and don’t have to draw. They are the artists of being alive.” ~J. Stone
What is Art? There are entire books devoted to that question, but for the sake of argument let’s use the Enclyclopedia Britannica.
Wikipedia defines Art as:
the use of skill and imagination in the creation of aesthetic objects, environments, or experiences that can be shared with others. The purpose of works of art may be to communicate ideas, such as in politically, spiritually, or philosophically-motivated art; to create a sense of beauty; to explore the nature of perception; for pleasure; or to generate strong emotions.The purpose may also be seemingly nonexistent.
I’m going to go out on a limb and say that you are an Artist. There is something you do in your life, maybe more than one thing, that expresses your art to others. Maybe you cook, do woodwork, work with children, build houses, work with numbers, or something else that you love, and love to share.
The discipline of the Artist is to find time every day to work on their Art. Make it a priority in your life, a discipline, to spend some time every day working on your Art.
Finally, a quote from one of my favorite books (I know, another quote):
Daniel Pink, in his book A Whole New Mind (Why Right-Brainers Will Rule The Future says:”The last few decades have belonged to a certain kind of person with a certain kind of Mind – computer programmers who could crank code, lawyers who could craft contracts, MBAs who could crunch number. But the key to the kingdom are changing hands. The future belongs to a different kind of person with a very different kind of mind – creators and empathizers, pattern recognizers, and meaning makers. These people – artists, inventors, designers, storytellers, caregivers, consolers, big picture thinkers – will now reap society’s richest rewards and share its greatest joys.”
My 3 Words for 2012
The inspiration for this post came from Chris Brogan. I really like the idea of having a theme, or themes, for the year.
My 3 Words are: Move, Connect and Create.
MOVE - I believe that motivation comes from movement, not the other way around. As a former dancer and choreographer I come from a background of movement. When working with coaching clients, our conversations are about getting moving and keeping moving. Physical, emotional and intellectual movement are keys to a long, healthy life.
CONNECT - Connect the dots. Connect people. Connect ideas. Reach out. Engage. Become a social business.
CREATE - My daily question is, “What can I create today?” Are you spending your time REACTING to circumstances, or CREATING your world? (notice that those two words consist of the same letters)
What is your plan/theme/goal/resolution for 2012?
Motivation Comes From Movement
Not the other way around…
Don’t screw around. Start now. Find an excuse. Any excuse. Do something. Do anything. Get going. Posthaste. ~Tom Peters
Do You Really Want Success?
An outstanding collection of clips from Will Smith on what it really takes to be successful. Give yourself the gift of 9 minutes and watch this.
Are You Handicapping Yourself?
You’ve probably heard the term “fear of failure” – but have you heard of “self-handicapping?”
According to Psychwici.com:
Self-handicapping is described as an action or choice which prevents a person from being responsible for failure (Kolditz & Arkin, 1982). Berglas and Jones (1978) describe this strategy as making choices or acting in ways which make it possible to externalize failure and to internalize success. People want to be able to accept credit for any success, but have an excuse for any failure. From these definitions we can see that the strategy of self-handicapping is used in evaluative setting so that the person has ready excuses for failures. Therefore if a failure occurs it is attributed to the handicap instead of the lack of ability on the part of the individual (Smith, Snyder, & Perkins, 1983). However, if someone does succeed despite the impediment then they can attribute the success to their abilities. As we can see, self-handicapping behaviors are designed so that there are desirable attributions for both success and failure (Hirt, Deppe, & Gordon, 1991).
Hmm…procrastination, lack of preparation, excess partying? Have you come across any of these things in your life? I certainly have in mine.
Something to think about.
The Choreography of Attention
“Art is the choreography of attention.” ~Edward de Bono
Choreography is the structure of movement. Are you structuring the movement of your attention? Are you putting your attention on the things that make your life a work of art (a product of your creativity)?
The discipline of the Artist is to find time every day to work on their Art. Make it a priority in your life, a discipline, to spend some time every day reflecting on where you are putting your attention. Are you working on your Art?
“The last few decades have belonged to a certain kind of person with a certain kind of Mind – computer programmers who could crank code, lawyers who could craft contracts, MBAs who could crunch number. But the key to the kingdom are changing hands. The future belongs to a different kind of person with a very different kind of mind – creators and empathizers, pattern recognizers, and meaning makers. These people – artists, inventors, designers, storytellers, caregivers, consolers, big picture thinkers – will now reap society’s richest rewards and share its greatest joys.”
I believe that you have within you a desire to create. You were born an Artist, with the ability to create effortlessly and gracefully in your life. To create something of meaning – either to yourself or to others. This creative urge often gets stifled in the day-to-day crush of life and “earning a living.” That potential for creation, the Artist Inside, is being blocked. Timothy Gallwey says, in his Inner Game books, that Performance equals Potential minus Interference. Search for ways to minimize, or eliminate, the elements in your life or work that are blocking your potential. And make your life a work of art.
“The most visible creators I know of are those artists whose medium is life itself. The ones who express the inexpressible~without brush, hammer, clay or guitar. They neither paint nor sculpt~their medium is being. Whatever their presence touches has increased life. They see and don’t have to draw. They are the artists of being alive.” ~ J. Stone
