What’s in a Whisper?

What is in a whisper? I watch my mares in the pasture, and they whisper. They whisper to their colts, to each other, to the stallion, and to me. They whisper, and they are heard. They lead the herd with magic and grace with signs so subtle human eyes rarely notice but their whispers are not fIMG 20160519 084939 300x272 - What's in a Whisper?orgotten on the wind. The whispers of the lead mare move the herd to safety, find water, and food. The whispers keep them alive, the whispers are heard by the herd, the whispers are noticed. The whispers are a powerful form of energy that leads the horses to life.

When we whisper others listen. When we whisper people follow. When we whisper we are powerful. When we whisper we are heard.

Whisper today, and see the difference a whisper can make.

Grasp the Magic!

I Sent You a Rowboat
A very religious man was once caught in rising floodwaters. He climbed onto the roof of his house and trusted God to rescue him. A neighbor came by in a canoe and said, “The waters will soon be above your house. Hop in and we’ll paddle to safety.” “No thanks” replied the religious man. “I’ve prayed to God and I’m sure he will save me” A short time later the police came by in a boat. “The waters will soon be above your house. Hop in and we’ll take you to safety.” “No thanks” replied the religious man. “I’ve prayed to God and I’m sure he will save me” A little time later a rescue services helicopter hovered overhead, let down a rope ladder and said. “The waters will soon be above your house. Climb the ladder and we’ll fly you to safety.” “No thanks” replied the religious man. “I’ve prayed to God and I’m sure he will save me” All this time the floodwaters continued to rise, until soon they reached above the roof and the religious man drowned. When he arrived at heaven he demanded an audience with God. Ushered into God’s throne room he said, “Lord, why am I here in heaven? I prayed for you to save me, I trusted you to save me from that flood.” “Yes you did my child” replied the Lord. “And I sent you a canoe, a boat and a helicopter. But you never got in.”
Unknown
Like the man in the boat accepting assistance is not my strong suit.  Yet over the last few weeks accepting assistance from friends, neighbors, and professional as I prepared to move became commonplace. Yet this story of a small town in Oklahoma is incredible and bears telling. It was late Tuesday afternoon. We had driven through the night, and had slept only an hour or two in the previous 36 hours. We had just blown our second tire on the trailer of the day. Yes, you read it right, second. So we slowed down on the toll road and crept off the ramp into the small town of Vinita, OK. At the toll booIMG 20160510 141445390 300x169 - Grasp the Magic!th I asked the worker where I might find someone to repair my tire. The worker gave me a card with a number to a tire repair place, and the owner’s cell phone number. It was approaching the store’s 5PM closing time. However, the worker assured us that the tire shop owner would be glad to repair it after hours for us. All we had to do is call him. So we called the tire shop owner and explained our situation, and let him know we also needed to get gas, first. He gave us directions to the gas station, and stayed on the phone with us until we arrived at the gas station. While filling up the truck with gas we inquired about water for the horses. The gas station attendant graciously allowed us to obtain water for the animals. While getting water for the horse we met a guy that worked for Fed-Ex. He was extremely helpful. He led us with his Fed-Ex vehicle to the tire repair shop, and also told us what tires had helped him when he was having trouble with blow outs on his trailer. The tire repair guy stayed late and replaced all four of my trailer tires for me. Amazing, isn’t it!
I could have refused the assistance at any point in time but I didn’t. I could have said, “No thanks, I don’t want the number…the directions…the water…the information…the help…the assistance…I don’t want to inconvenience you…I don’t want to be any trouble.”  I could have not asked for help, broken down and cried (as I was seriously tempted to do) or ignored the advice.
Why did I ask and accept the help? To be honest I don’t know why but it seemed that the universe was conspiring to help me, as much or more then it was conspiring to delay my journey.  What I do know is that by staying present to what was being offered in the environment, and saying “yes” to it problems became resolved, forward movement was regained, and I was onto the next leg of my journey in a very short time.  By surrendering to what was I kept moving forward to what could be. I could choose to be swept away by the flood, or grasp the hands that were offered me. This time I choose the magic of allowing what could be to happen.
Where are you not surrendering to what is? Where are you not accepting the help that is offered? Where are you refusing to slow down, and allow the magic to work in your life?

 

Moving West, a Perspective

Many years ago a colleague of mine recounted a story told to her by the Chair of her dissertation committee. He recalled that to graduate from one of his programs he had to write a paper that would be read by five random professors at his college that did not know him. He submitted exactly the same paper to each person. He recalled the responses were fascinating. The feedback he received was everything from “This is the best paper I have ever read,” to “This is the worst paper I have read.” So how could one paper be viewed so radically different by these five professors?

Perspective. Perspective is everything.

Likewise, for the most part the individuals in my life, friends, colleagues, and clients have been delighted about my new venture. Excited for me that I will be experiencing life in a new way as I coach, write, and enjoy my time in nature and with my animals traveling on the road. This response seems a no-brainer, someone doing something they want to do so you celebrate with them, even though it may on one hand be a loss for yourself. Yet I also received perceptions of my adventure as a loss for me (per them), or as a narcissistic, and selfish gesture.

Isn’t perspective interesting?

The fascinating thing about another person’s perspective is that it is theirs, not mine so for better or worse, it is not my issue it is theirs. To make things even better the really great thing about my perspective is that I can change it. I can decide whether it brings suffering or joy to me. The people that are choosing to celebrate my new adventure with me are choosing joy, coming from a higher place on the spiritual ladder so to speak. And for those that have chosen otherwise the good news is they can choose to step up the ladder anytime they desire.

Perspective is the way we decorate our world. How are you decorating your world today? Take a step up the ladder. The air is cleaner, the view is clearer, and life becomes much sweeter!

Misuse of the Imagination

Major Nesmeth was a prisoner of war in North Vietnam. For seven years he was confined to a small cage. To keep his sanity, he played an imaginary eighteen holes of golf daily. He would use his range of senses to clearly visualize every swing and shot. After his release he found he had shave 20 points off his old average score. As far as his mind and body were concerned he had played all those games that he had spent practicing, and refining, and perfecting using his imagination.  (Paraphrased from Jane Savoie, That Winning Feeling)
Nesmeth’s amazing improvement in performance is just one example of what research has shown us (Maltz, 1960), the human nervous system cannot tell the difference between actual and vivid imaginary practice. What a wonderful finding! Athletes, and performers of all types have embraced this new knowledge and applied it to improving the skills they wish to master.
Since our imagination is that powerful in helping us improve performance think how you might be utilizing it to sabotage yourself. Do you regularly visual disaster? Worst case scenarios? Doing the wrong thing? Consider what you could do if you did not misuse use your imagination but in fact utilized it to create the relationships, success, and freedom that you want?
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Be the Fool

George Leonard, bestselling author, dubbed “a learner” by a mountain man is invited to his home in the Los Padres mountain wilderness near Big Sur to instruct the mountain man on how to become a learner. Arriving at this remote location the mountain man walks Leonard through his sculptures, chronologically and indicates to Leonard where he had lost his spark, and stopped being a learner. “Tell me. How can I be a learner?”, says the mountain man. Leonard exhausted from the long and dangerous drive his mind blank hears himself responding, “It’s simple. To be a learner, you’ve got to be willing to be a fool.”

 

Later, Leonard goes on to explain to the readers of his book, Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment that he is referring to the spirit of a medieval court jester. The ability to create a fertile void, to empty oneself of all knowing and thus allow creativity to spring forth from a place of emptiness within us.

 

Are you willing to empty yourself of all knowing? Are you willing to play the fool? Are you willing to create a fertile void from which you can create the life that you want? If not now, then when? When will you stop living your life as if you will live forever?

 

Jackie of All Trades, Mastery of None

“A friend of mine, twenty-nine and still looking for a cause, a purpose in life, said, ‘Our generation has been raised on the idea of keeping our options open. But if you keep all your options open, you can’t do a damned thing.’ It’s a problem: How can any one option, any one goal match up to the possibilities contained in all the others? … Ultimately, liberation comes through the acceptance of limits. You can’t do everything, but you can do one thing, and then another and another,” writes George Leonard in his book, Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment. 
 
Rereading Leonard’s Mastery, I have found the pure pleasure in slowing down. Doing one thing exceedingly well in this moment, and the next, and the next. Pure focus, pure practice. Turning off the noise bringing my attention to perfecting in this moment whatever it is I am doing. Choosing to not be “busy.” I chose only a few very important things to say, “yes” to in my life.
I listen, I share, I listen some more. I ride, I reflect, I ride some more. I write, I review, I write some more.
What are the most important things in your life? Slow down to speed up. Your partner, your children, your work, your life. Be present to it, practice it, one step and then the next step.
Building a business? Start with one person, connect with them. Listen to them. Invite them. Assist them through the use of your service or product. Nourish the relationship. Propose for them to work with you only if it will serve them.
Mastery. Seek it. Treasure it. Enjoy each and every moment of it.
Synopsis of George Leonard’s Mastery …
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Are You an A?

In the book, The Art of Possibility, Benjamin and Rosamund Stone Zander share a story of a young man that was attending one of Benjamin’s music courses. Zander, the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and a teach at the Walnut Hill Conservatory had come up with the technique of giving his students all A’s at the beginning of the year so that they would risk playing full out, making mistakes, and growing through the year in his course.

One young man was perplexed by this idea. In his country, the orchestra where he played he was number 68 out of 70. The student after being awarded the “A” by Zander wandered around pondering this idea for several days. He then wrote Zander that this was at first confusing that in his country he is 68 out of 70 but in Mr. Zander’s class he was an “A” student. He told Zander that he realized that he felt better when he thought of himself as an “A” student instead of “68” so he decided he would go with being an “A” student.

 

This young man learned in a very short  time what it takes most of us decades to learn that we get to decide what we believe, and that we can choose that which will benefit, and serve us the most. This young man recognized that he felt better when he thought and felt of himself as an “A” student.

What are you thinking about yourself? Are you giving yourself an “A”, or a making yourself number 68? Consider both options, which would serve you best then chose! Who can you give an “A” to today?
Hear the story from Zander himself.
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Giving an “A”!

A Herd of Horses

Once upon a time in a small village a man owned some land. One day a herd of wild horses came to reside on this man’s property. His neighbors were so excited! They told him this is great. You are a very wealthy man now. The man only replied, “maybe it’s good, maybe it’s bad”. Then the man’s son decided he would train the stallion of this wild herd, and in the process the stallion dumped the son and the son’s leg was broken. The neighbors were so upset! This is awful they replied, “what will you do now that your son has a broken leg?” Again, the man only replied, “maybe it’s good, maybe it’s bad”. At this same time the King of this man’s country declared war on another country, and began conscripting young men into the army. Needless to say this man’s son could not go because he had a broken leg.

Original Source Unknown

This story is one of my favorites. It reminds me that in any given moment my judgment of an event is wrong. The story suggests that I might want to suspend titles such as “good” or “bad” because I simply do not have the power to know how that event will play out in the future. “Good” and “bad” are labels I give an event depending on the story I have created about how that event will impact myself or others. The story I create is no more accurate then the story that someone else might create about the same event.

So has a herd of wild horses appeared in your world today? If so remember, “maybe it’s good, maybe it’s bad”, or maybe it is just another part of your life’s journey. What story will you create today? Make it fun!

Byron Katie on Judging

What Legacy will You Leave?

 That is your legacy on this Earth when you leave this Earth:

how many hearts you touched.

Patti Davis

Legacy is in one sense the concrete things you leave behind. Yet legacy is far more than things, legacy is the quality of all the energy you leave behind. Will it be positive or negative? Will it be love or fear? Will it build up or tear down? Will it heal or harm? What will you leave behind? Will you leave the world better than you found it?

Character Matters to Relationship Quality

The quality of your life is the quality of your relationships.
Anthony Robbins

The quality of our lives my be the quality of our relationships, however the quality of a relationship is based on the character of the individuals involved in that relationship. Successful relationships are formed by individuals with characteristics that enable the relationship to thrive.

What characteristics help your relationships thrive? What characteristics do you want to develop in yourself?