While technically a new calendar year, I often like to start my “new year” at the beginning of February. I find in January, an abiding sense of liminal space. Of possibility, open horizons. During this time, my hope for myself and for you is Balance.
An awareness of mixing intention, action and responsibility, surrender, reflection and deep compassion.
Big goals and visions provide clarity yes, but it’s the tiny daily sustainable commitments, and the ability to flex, that are super powerful in getting there.
Insight 1: Where there is no intention, effort, or practice, there is no art.
So many times we focus on goals rather than the values we hold and the aligned behaviours we might commit to to move toward whatever goals we have set. I have to constantly remind my internalised capitalist that time and attention, trial and error, iteration and reflection, are not a "waste of time" or a "failure" -they are in fact all there is. They are facets of the imperative process of learning, developing, growing and honing.
The same can be said for seemingly mundane things of living, like cooking, cleaning, recycling etc. We look at these people in the public eye who appear to have everything done for them, and it seems a dream to be so free of responsibility. So often we find ourselves trying to effortlessly rush through the details of life as if they were in the way. But if we pause - what are they in the way of? There is no top of the mountain to reach. There is only a string of moments, of openings, of experiences, of opportunities for awe, of chances to pay attention and be in our lives now. The big prize is made up of the tiny everyday. We must be mindful of our rush to reach the mirage of success. We will at best be disappointed, at worst, Artless and unexpressed. (That’s if we didn’t already die of thirst along the way).
Insight 2: Some questions don't need answering, instead they can serve as ways to call attention to things, to open our minds, or indeed to illustrate a point.
Name the five wealthiest people in the world. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.
How did you do? These people have been deemed the best in their fields, but their achievements can still be forgotten.
Now consider this:
Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile. List three people who have made you feel appreciated and special. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
The people who make a difference in our lives are not all memorable because of credentials, money, or success. The riches they bring to us come in so many different forms, and these riches are available to us on a daily basis. Gratitude for what we have right in front of us and inside us is a true gift.
Insight 3: The power of one.
One encounter can become the door through which many can meet. One example can become the door through which many can imagine. One opening can become the door through which many can enter. One concept can become the door through which many perspectives are generated. Everything starts with the seed. The one. From this potential grows. Things take time, and there are many barriers to change, and yet that one, that first, that breaks things open, is so powerful. That precious first one is the key. Start small, start anywhere, just start.
P.S...Here are three more ways you can experience my work...
1 - Tailored Resources - simply let me know via email what you are working through and I will send you some helpful pointers and materials
2 - Half day Deep dive - four hours of deeply focused time working through whatever it is you want to bring
3 - Full day immersion - this is a sacred time for magical unfolding, where we get to explore whatever emerges with no limit on where the time takes us
I love to connect - please do leave a comment or share with someone you think this might benefit.
