-- a journey into awareness
Our thinking minds are heavily influenced by what we’ve been taught, our beliefs about how things work, and our assumptions about people. These, too often, lead to worry, judgment, and fears that distort what we think is happening, and limit what we think is possible.
As a creator, I learned I had to go beyond what my “head” can do for me. That led me to lesson #5…
Most of us really don’t really believe what we want matters. But it’s the first step in learning we are creators. We start by wanting something, which leads us to learn about the creating process itself. We begin to trust that we can have what we want. And, it’s only then, that we can hear the invitation to go deeper: to listen to the silence, to step off the edge of what we thought was possible. In Alice of Wonderland’s terms, we fall down the rabbit hole– running into paradoxes, living bigger questions, losing the world we thought we knew so well.
Last Sunday, Rev. Linda asked if we were people who engaged life or people who preferred to watch it on TV.
I thought about the fact that although we are creators, most of us are lulled into amnesia by the
stress of life. Too often we don’t see the choices we make that wear us out and move us away from what we care about. Instead, we tell ourselves we “have to” (fill in the blank).
Click here to read a great example of one man’s realization of how he reacted to externals and the impact it had on one of the most important events in in his life. (from HBR Blog Network, Greg McKeown, If You Don’t Prioritize Your Life, Someone Else Will, 8:00 AM June 28, 2012
A single goose can’t fly into a headwind over long distances. When flying South, a goose instinctively knows it can’t get where it’s going by itself; a goose needs the group.
If you’ve ever been on a bicycle riding into the wind you understand the problem. Its hard work and it wears you out. So you see bicyclists doing the same thing as geese. They ride together and take turns being out front; the others tuck in behind the front person who’s taking the brunt of the wind, creating an”uplift” of sorts for those following.
Flying geese are often used as a metaphor for shared leadership. but perhaps they’re a better metaphor for what it takes to achieve something that is difficult and will take a long time. You need a group!
I think mastermind groups serve that purpose for individuals working on new ventures. They support each other when someone starts losing energy. They remind a person when they drift off course. In a complex, uncertain world I suspect using groups for support and collaboration will become common practice.
Being a creator does not mean you have to work alone.
“The only stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking, you have to have a ‘what-the-hell’ attitude.” Julia Child
I’ve been taking a course on flavorings. Yes, a cooking course by the Kitchen Coach Randie Flaig, that was designed to
bring our attention to the whole world of flavor. We learned what makes up our perception of flavor, for example, texture, smell, temperature, weight & mass, memories. She showed us how to add flavor starting with the obvious salt, pepper and spices. She went on, showing us how to enhance flavor with cooking techniques like roasting, searing, and blackening; sauces like reductions and glazes; and special techniques such as repeating ingredients in different forms, for example, lemon zest and lemon juice.
I learned wonderful new words like “Umami” (foods which enrich and round out flavors) and the Maillard Reaction (a chemical reaction from heating certain foods that enhances flavor). But I learned most by watching her.
I watched as she would start with a vegetable or piece of meat or fish and add salt & pepper and maybe a spice. Then she’d taste it and have us taste. “What else does it need?” she’d ask. We’d suggest something which she’d put in, and again, we’d all taste.
Sometimes it would go in the wrong direction and we’d have to figure out what to do. She was clear that great cooking required continued tasting, correcting as you go, and having a “what-the-hell” attitude. Timidity didn’t cut it.
How like life I thought. For it to be interesting you have to experiment. For it to be fulfilling you have to give your heart to it. And as with all creating, you start with an intention to do or make something. You have to keeping checking where you are and notice when you aren’t where you thought you’d be. You learn to course correct. Sometimes you end up in a different place but one just as good or even better. And sometimes you just have to remember to keep a “what-the-hell” attitude. After all, there’s always another dish to make.
I am fascinated with the creating process. Here’s a new book that I believe makes a major contribution to describing the creating process.
Today more and more of what we do involves navigating in unknown territory. Traditional planning processes that assume a predictable environment are ill suited for what we encounter when trying something new or just living in this rapidly changing world. Based on studies and interviews with entrepreneurs, the authors conclude that the creActive process (their term) involves basically three steps.
“1. Desire. Find or think of something you want. …you don’t need a lot of passion; you only need sufficient desire to get started….
2. Take a smart step as quickly as you can. As you will see, a smart step has its own three-part logic as well.
3. Build on what you have learned from taking that step.”
( from Chapter One: What to Do When You Can’t Predict the Future)
If this feels familiar it may be because it is something we’ve all done. Understanding everything involved in the steps is still a challenge. You can order the book by clicking here: Just Start: Take Action, Embrace Uncertainty, Create the Future
