Archive for Creative Living
Productive Ecstasy-Little Drummer Boy
Posted by: | CommentsProductive ecstasy? Whatever can I be talking about?
I facilitated a workshop over the summer where I delved into ‘creative ecstasy’, the equivalent of getting into the thrill of the creative ‘flow zone’ . This is the state of mind and engagement where you are so fully involved at a level of skill and challenge that you lose track of time and your efforts sail along with zing, flair and panache. In such a state, individual productivity tends to skyrocket, as we are not distracted, focus is clear and sharp and all components required for forward motion and success are in alignment. In an ecstatic collaboration the productivity can even be multiplied since the sum is greater than the parts.
Below is a link to a YouTube video of Howard, a 4 year old kid, playing drums. Have no fear, he actually plays very well. What’s cool is Read More→
Change Your WorkWorld by Changing Yourself First
Posted by: | CommentsStarting with yourself as a core and connecting element in your business, realize you have the defining role in whether your work experience is enjoyable, meaningful, productive and a match for you. By changing something within yourself that sends out a different vibe, whether it’s pleasure in dealing with your customers or colleagues, or satisfaction in the substance of the workaday tasks, you can set the tone by tuning into your own attitude and noticing how you are spending your time and energy.
Sometimes a mis-match can be as simple as recognizing you have fallen prey to Read More→
Shape-shifting as Renewal & Revitalization
Posted by: | CommentsIt’s a case of ‘out with the old, in with the new’. It’s all about resilience!
Every seven years or so, human bodies replace every cell in every organ, each at a different rate depending on size and density, apparently. I say ‘apparently’, because even though scientific research tells us this is happening, to look at ourselves and others, we’d hardly know it. The only evidence we have of old cells shedding are the few flakes of skin left on our sheets or as bathtub ring every morning.
So we are effectively a new being even though we appear to stay the same person. How does that happen? What is holding our identity together during the ongoing process of change? In humans there is cellular coding that reproduces cells with the holographic imprint of, in my case, Donna-ness.
Reinventing our business can follow the same process of continuously updating and renewing our marketing, product and services, systems and equipment while still maintaining our organizational identity.
How do we do that? What might that look like for you?
Please leave your comments and recommendations below. I’ll pick up from here next time.
Ask Yourself “Why Am I Doing This?”
Posted by: | CommentsWe just had Independence Day. It always makes me think about the nature of Freedom, which I count as one of my key values, and how much I manifest freedom in my own life. The daily reality, however, is that I have a propensity towards being TOO busy, which means I lack a certain amount of time freedom.
So I came across some questions from Gary Null in Living in the Moment, which stopped me in my tracks. These questions were really useful for me as a reminder I can make different choices…and hopefully for you too:
Why am I doing this? Why am I saying that? Why am I spilling my guts when it will change nothing? Or, now my questions, How can I take different actions so things WILL change? Will taking these actions lead me where I am trying to go? Is this is the best use of my time?
Whatever questions you ask of yourself, the key point is that at any moment you can make different choices and course correct. Or just stop, breathe, and consciously decide what to do next. That way you are more in control of your efforts and energy, and are well on the way to regaining both your freedom and your mental resilience!
Creating First Time is Risky
Posted by: | CommentsThere are some recent schools of management thought that say “Get it right first time, and every time.” The idea is that this assures consistent customer service, so the motivation is good. However, when learning anything new, different from your norm or even just upgrading, there is a learning curve. Some of us can simulate the process offline and out of sight, which allows us to practice until we get it right in a modicum of privacy. Other activities require we engage in the learning on the spot, or in the limelight. When the stakes are high, such as when I worked with British Top Gun pilots in the Royal Air Force, then it behooves us to practice and simulate rigorously before we engage in the actual tasks we’ve been learning. Other learnings carry a lesser penalty or simply can’t happen in a practice arena. I know from my son’s ice hockey coach that how the kids practice is likely to be how they play in the games. So he pushes them hard in practice in order to have the routine down before the stakes are higher in a game.
When I was earning my Masters Degree and practice teaching, it was only one layer of the learning curve as a teacher to get clear on the content, which could initially be done on my own out of the spotlight. But it was another several layers worth to factor in accelerated learning techniques and Read More→
Creative Distinctions-When Does Single Turn into Unmarried?
Posted by: | CommentsThere’s alot of hoo-ha over the fact that proposed Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan hasn’t been married. There’s the school of thought that says, “so then she’s gotta be lesbian”, which has the gays rallying to support her and the government back-pedddling between, “well, we are denying she is homosexual, but….even if she were there’s nothing wrong with that.”
Then there’s the school of thought that recognises that a busy professional woman of her caliber not only doesn’t have much time for dating, but many men are threatened by obviously highly intelligent women. In fact, the 60 Minutes news episode on Harvard Business School students revealed that many Harvard women hid the fact they were Harvard grads for just that reason. They called it the H-bomb.
So the question raised in our morning paper today is, when does being ‘single’, which implies available, ready for fun and romantic exploration cross over to ‘unmarried’, with the implication of undesirable, past-the-sell-by date, frumpy and old maidish? Why do we associate ‘single’ Read More→
Creative Renewal Reveals Fresh New Layers
Posted by: | CommentsPulling spent palm fronds off palm trunks is our main horticultual task in the sub-tropics. Well, aside from side-stepping those blasted fire ants. Today, after my sunrise walk I spotted a brown frond hiding behind a green one. I had to yank them both down, a surprisingly easy task. Not usually the case with fresh green sprouts that adhere tightly to the trunk, but when growing over a decaying frond there is nothing solid to cling to.
It made me think about making creative changes in life. The changes and upgrades we make are much more likey to’ stick’ if they are attached to a solid foundation, whether it’s values, principles, choices or habits.
I was noticing how hard it’s been for me to get a grip on my new online lifestyle, and recently realized I hadn’t made a definitive choice about it.Despite all my efforts, it was like I was playing at it. So when I ran into technical difficulties for which I couldn’t easily get help, my projects just ground to a standstill. That compounded the problem as all those partially completed projects just festered and propagated negative feelings. So much for all my energy and positivity!
I noticed something else too- underneath the dead frond was yet another new seed pod, bursting to reveal itself when it got its day in the sunlight (literally!) So too with us when we live by a creative orientation as a lifestyle. The renewal is constant and vibrant, however it finally reveals itself to the world. But preparing by taking a stance of ‘out with the old and in with the new’ will help.
Wishing YOU creative renewal that sustains you and your dreams!
Creative Leverage of Emotions in Negotiations
Posted by: | CommentsIn our Mastermind group last night we reviewed the book Beyond Reason: Using Emotions as You Negotiate by Roger Fisher & Dr. Daniel Shapiro . Brendon Burchard then gave a brilliant overview of 10 hallmark aspects of extraordinary negotiations. Underlying all is the recognition that relationships should always supersede the deal. Embrace these ten things along with thinking and creativity tools to leverage the information, and your negotiating experience and outcomes will more likely to be successful to the fullest extent of the word.
10 hallmarks:
• Presence-real ,attuned emotional availability
• Passion-feeling deeply for what you, as a negotiating group, are working towards which may be bigger than what you, representing your group’s interests alone, want
• Patience-respect other people’s deadlines as well as the unfolding of the process
• Caring-empathy with the other’s identity and position, even if not their view
• Purpose-what’s the overall purpose you are there for , remembering relationships Read More→
The Creative Living Jive
Posted by: | CommentsDancing with the Stars, a local dance face-off between the Mayor and media personalities (paired up with local dance instructors)raises funds for Arts Education at the Kravis Performing Arts Center. Being a believer in the role of the arts in human development, expression and fulfillment, I wholeheartedly support this program.
Then there’s the whole other side to the magnificence and engagement of the evening…the willingness of public figures to put themselves on the line in an area of performance they are not proficient at in the beginning. Over about a 3 month period, the contenders fit in hours of grueling practice in already overly busy schedules. There are ups, downs, flare-ups, personality clashes, moments of victory- just like you may have seen on the TV show of the same name. Then comes the one night of make or break;
