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When inspiration is lacking …

… what do you do? How do you be with the time or the task in front of you when the spark is absent, the desire to do “it” doesn’t exist?

Today, I wanted to write something for you, something inspiring, something that you’ll be glad you read. And … I couldn’t find a topic that inspired me enough to want to share it with you! Oh I tried! Without a new idea, I opened up old draft posts and tried to finish them. And boy was it work! And what I wrote? Not so good.

Sometimes the work in front of us requires that we execute whether or not we are inspired. Sometimes it doesn’t. Always, however, the energy we bring to the task at hand has great impact. Consider the “task” of disciplining a child, leading a team meeting, lunch with a friend, intimacy with a partner, writing a blog post. Now imagine that “task” completed with the energy of excitement, love, connection, joy, purpose! Now imagine it completed with the energy of bored, afraid, angry, “just get it done”, distracted, uninspired.

Which energy would you want to receive …
from your parent, supervisor, friend, partner, me?

The next time you lack the energy, the inspiration, that would best serve the “task” at hand, ask if it can be postponed. If so, don’t do it now! Otherwise,  take a moment to vision the impact if you proceed from the energy you currently feel. If you don’t like the vision, ask yourself:

What would shift my energy?
What would inspire me to bring full, engaged presence?

What would it take for me to be inspired?

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What I Want For You …

Whether you are a parent, teacher, manager, leader, friend – if you ever find yourself supporting, mentoring, guiding, coaching other human beings – this message is for you.

Before you offer your advice, your ideas, your wisdom, stop and ask yourself:

What do I most want for this person?

Not “What do I want them to do or be for my sake?” but, rather, “What do I want for them?” See them through the lens of their whole life, as amazing potential, as pure possibility. See them as capable, creative, able to make powerful, positive decisions for themselves. See them as someone you care deeply about, desiring their success, happiness, independence, joy and love in this lifetime.

Now, imagine being in their position and ask yourself:

  • What do I desire?
  • What message would connect me to my innate abilities?
  • What would help me act from personal integrity?
  • What would help me take responsibility for my impact?
  • What I want for me is …

From this wider view, reconsider your advice, your message of support. Consider instead a message with connection and acknowledgment at its core.

I notice you struggling with …

What I most want for you is …
What I know is that you are …
What I see in you is …

How can I support you now?

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Daring …

How many times have you heard, “I dare you!”, especially out of the mouths of children? Actually, only out of the mouths of children! It seems, as an adult, daring has been trained out many of us. While that isn’t totally a “bad” thing as some of those childish dares were quite dangerous, the quality of daring has a place in our “grown up” world, especially for those of us who choose to be leaders on this planet. Ready?

Dare to disturb
Dare to be wrong

Do you dare to disturb the status quo, the way we’ve always done it? How else does powerful change happen? If we always do what we’ve always done, how will we experience anything but what we’ve always experienced? Actually, in this world where so much is evolving so quickly, trying to keep the status quo is nearly impossible!

Do you have the courage to be wrong? Do you dare to move forward without knowing the steps? Do you dare to be wrong in service of your vision, your dreams, your powerful intention for something better?

Today, notice where your daring is absent but needed. Notice where you go with the flow without question. Notice, too, where you are afraid to take a step because you might be wrong, you might fall down, you might fail.  Then …

Dare to disturb!
How will you shake up the status quo today?
Dare to be wrong!
Where will you feel the fear and do it anyway?

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Separate or Among? You get to choose!

PeopleWorkingTogether

Imagine you in your life – in the activities you do, at work, within your family, in your volunteer commitments – anywhere that you are in the presence of a group of people. Close your eyes and put yourself there now. In your mind’s eye, what do you see?

  • Are you physically present and emotionally absent?
  • Are you physically present but off to one side as the judgmental onlooker?
  • Are you physically present but lonely or depressed and assuming that no one cares?
  • Are you deeply engaged, perhaps to the point of taking over the controls?

Perhaps you’ve been all of these at various times! How do they work for you? Likely, not too well. These ways of being, of seeing ourselves, don’t feel good and certainly don’t result in our personal best having an impact on the world around us.

Consider another way: always among. It is a choice we make each and every time we enter into relationship with the world around us. We can choose:

  • to see ourselves as separate: thinking and feeling our way into isolation or into control over others
  • to see ourselves as one among many: collaborators on this life journey, supporting one another, sharing personal gifts and talents for the good of the whole, sometimes leading, sometimes encouraging, sometimes just doing what needs to be done

Notice where you show up as separate. Experiment with an intention of among. See each person as an individual contributor to an interconnected whole. Each is one among many serving something greater than their personal agendas. Then ask:

What are we creating?
What is their contribution?
What am I to offer now?

What does it feel like to be among?

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Are you ready for rainbow swirl?

Take a moment to think about the world you live, play and work within. Browse your outer world, but survey also your inner world, the beliefs and ideas you allow to impact your choices. If your world was ice cream, would it be plain vanilla? Succulent strawberry? Charming chocolate? Maybe it’s a bit of all three and you’ve got Neapolitan going on!
neapolitan

If you do move around in Neapolitan, are you segregated:

NeapolitanAgain

allowing some ideas and beliefs in one area of your life but not another, showing up some places as plain vanilla and others as succulent strawberry?

Today, imagine expanding your scope, the colors and flavors and style that you play with on your life journey. Imagine you added orange sherbet, pistachio or rainbow swirl:

icecreamswirl

What is possible with a bit more color?
What magic will you create with orange sherbet?
What will your rainbow swirl stir up?