Human potential pioneer, Jean Houston, often talks about her great friend and mentor, Margaret Mead. She is fond of describing how Margaret used inner imagery to awaken and enhance her creative abilities in all areas of her life, including professionally. She visualized things she loved, admired, appreciated, along with those things that fascinated her.
She let her imagination travel anywhere and everywhere, which woke her mind up and shook loose any numbness or fuzziness. From this happy, awakened place, she would then turn her mind loose on whatever project was at hand, and her awakened mind, now with all neurons firing, would quickly turn out a rich plan, speech, initiative or new chapter for one of her many books. In this way, Margaret was able to be prolific, and much of what she did appeared effortless. She was, as Jean says, “cooking on all burners”.
This is in contrast to many of us who burn the midnight oil in a task oriented and stressful mindset as we struggle to meet a deadline or bring to mind a half formed idea lurking in the background, but refusing to come up fully on the screen of consciousness.
This idea of creating from a place of an inspired mind has an interesting correlation in a health product currently on the market. The product is called “Triticum Aestivum” and is a topical spray used to relieve pain. The odd thing is that it is not sprayed directly on the painful area, but rather is sprayed around the area, where it enhances the circulation and energy of the surrounding area, which then flows into the painful area, relieving the pain.
The idea is that, when we strengthen what is already functioning well, the increased wellness flows into areas which have diminished capacity. While the connection between this and Margaret Mead’s process of enlivening may seem like a stretch, I believe there is an important common connection, which is that pushing, forcing, trying and struggling do not produce great results. Only flow produces great results, and flow comes from the natural order of things, such as a body part or a mind that is firing with all cylinders, as it was designed to do. If we wake up our mind, it will produce enlivened results and a strengthened body will help to heal itself.
You might want to experiment with these ideas the next time you have a daunting job to do. Try waking up your body and your mind first, get them into a delightful state and then see what happens!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
Simple and Powerful
One of the simplest, yet most effective, suggestions I find myself making to my clients is to optimize the first seconds of any encounter. Sociologists tell us that the first moments of a meeting set the tone for the entire interaction, and I have found this to be true without exception.
It's a little bit like setting the dial on a radio. If you turn on the radio and do nothing else, it will default to where it was when you last turned it off. In the case of a meeting with someone, this translates to the feeling between you bearing shades of the last time you parted. This is fine if you were delighted with your last interaction, but not so fine if you weren't. Greeting a person with a warm smile and the expectation that you will receive the best of them will immediately set the tone for a successful encounter.
If you are meeting someone for the first time, it is likely that you will project assumptions and expectations onto them, and they onto you. You can circumvent that by greeting the person with a smile, in an open and friendly manner. That way, you are telling them what to think about you and saving them the trouble of figuring it out for themselves. You are also setting the tone for a friendly interaction.
So often my clients tell me that they take their spouse or partner for granted, greeting them in a hurried or offhand manner then rushing off to do something else. When I ask them what their life would be like without that person, they often tell me they would be devastated. Yet their greetings reflect none of the value they place on that person. Frankly, I am amazed by that!
Alternatively, people tell me that their relationships are immeasurably enhanced by the simple act of greeting their partner in a warm and friendly way, being very present, making eye contact and welcoming that person into the moment. They are often astonished at the difference that one simple action makes to the quality of the relationship.
This is equally true when dealing with personnel at the grocery store or post office. A warm smile and greeting can make a huge difference to the quality of service received and the successful outcome of the transaction. A warm greeting tells that person that they are seen and valued, and that can put a different and happy spin on their whole day, making it much more likely they will serve you well.
I invite you to experiment with this simple change and see what happens!
It's a little bit like setting the dial on a radio. If you turn on the radio and do nothing else, it will default to where it was when you last turned it off. In the case of a meeting with someone, this translates to the feeling between you bearing shades of the last time you parted. This is fine if you were delighted with your last interaction, but not so fine if you weren't. Greeting a person with a warm smile and the expectation that you will receive the best of them will immediately set the tone for a successful encounter.
If you are meeting someone for the first time, it is likely that you will project assumptions and expectations onto them, and they onto you. You can circumvent that by greeting the person with a smile, in an open and friendly manner. That way, you are telling them what to think about you and saving them the trouble of figuring it out for themselves. You are also setting the tone for a friendly interaction.
So often my clients tell me that they take their spouse or partner for granted, greeting them in a hurried or offhand manner then rushing off to do something else. When I ask them what their life would be like without that person, they often tell me they would be devastated. Yet their greetings reflect none of the value they place on that person. Frankly, I am amazed by that!
Alternatively, people tell me that their relationships are immeasurably enhanced by the simple act of greeting their partner in a warm and friendly way, being very present, making eye contact and welcoming that person into the moment. They are often astonished at the difference that one simple action makes to the quality of the relationship.
This is equally true when dealing with personnel at the grocery store or post office. A warm smile and greeting can make a huge difference to the quality of service received and the successful outcome of the transaction. A warm greeting tells that person that they are seen and valued, and that can put a different and happy spin on their whole day, making it much more likely they will serve you well.
I invite you to experiment with this simple change and see what happens!
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