A New Perspective...Rooting for the Heroes

Today I noticed a change in how I think of first responders - especially those who fly around in helicopters here in the Rocky Mountains.

In the past, I would see them and think "boy, I hope nobody is hurt too badly" or "I hope they find whoever is lost quickly." Makes sense, nothing out of the ordinary thinking like this.

But today I saw a helicopter headed into the foothills above our town of Nederland, headed in the direction of our ski resort, and thought instead "thank you - go save that person who is in dire need!"

And that's when I both noticed this change of perspective and immediately knew why. Last August my daughter had a massive stroke in the mountains by Steamboat and, in addition to the quick reaction of her wonderful husband, it was the response of the local emergency room professionals and those in a helicopter who flew her to Denver that saved her life. Not only saved her life but set her up for an amazing recovery. I am so very thankful for those first responders.

So now, when I see them headed out, instead of thinking "I hope nobody is hurt bad" I think "go guys, be the heroes coming to the rescue of the person in need - they may actually be alive tomorrow because of you and your work."

This feels like a much more powerful and uplifting response and I'm glad for the shift in perspective. And proud that many in my family are or were in the healthcare profession - like my brother-in-law Wayne!

What you think

Nothing else can have a greater impact to help or hinder me than the thoughts that float around in my head. They drive behaviors; they influence perceptions; they provide or extinguish inspiration and motivation.

When people say we "create our own reality" this is what is meant - not that we are magicians who can create something out of thin air - that we will end up creating the reality that we compose and reinforce in our heads.

It still amazes me how transformative a shift in thoughts and focus can be on how I experience and live my life. I've experienced this power in both personal and professional areas of my life, and continually try to pay attention to these ubiquitous messages emerging and floating around in my head.

Where do you find truth and joy?

“If you are unable to find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?” 

― Dōgen

I've noticed recently that my attention has been continually distracted from the gifts all around me to the idea that I have to do something more or be somewhere else to find them. If I genuinely can't find joy right here, right now, I believe it is a truth that I will not find it by doing something or by going somewhere else.

And it comes back down to basic practice - presence and awareness. Combine that with a deep sense of gratitude and a smile emerges, worries dissolve, and I am exactly where I need to be....to be.

And so this is the journey of life for me.....

So many things I would have done....

"So many things I would have done

But clouds got in my way

I've looked at clouds from both sides now

From up and down, and still somehow

It's cloud illusions I recall

I really don't know clouds at all"

- Joni Mitchell - Both Sides, Now

Both Sides, Now is one of my favorite songs and as my focus this past year has been on fearlessness and challenging myself, the specific lyrics above now resonate with me in a new way. 

I wonder how many things I have not tried in my life due to perceived barriers that kept me from acting. And given the significant success I have actually realized (more than I could have ever imagined, both personally and professionally), just how much more would have been possible - and even may be possible in the future - if I had not created the "cloud illusions" I've allowed to disempower, frighten, or just distract me? 

This Day Flows Through Me

this day flows through me

like a swift stream

my inattention creates a dam

that holds up the natural flow

and makes me sad;

yet helps me remember, and I smile

Focus, Energy and 2015

A value I am frequently discussing with my clients is Focus. A common principle is to limit the amount of work taken on to minimize the effect of multi-tasking. It just hit me this week that I needed some of my own coaching. As I thought about all I have lined up in front of me I felt overwhelmed and directionless - even lacking any energy to figure it all out.

Then it hit me - I need to stop and re-focus. And once I started to think through what this meant, I experienced an immediate burst of energy and motivation. It was amazing (and I was on a treadmill at the time so my cardio workout was improved up at the same time).

So here are my areas of focus and how they look completely different this morning.

Professional - Scaling Innovation
Working with some peers, my professional focus this year will be on making a meaningful contribution to scaling the innovation found naturally in start-up organizations into a variety of enterprise contexts. Now, all of a sudden, my reading list of 30+ books has been pruned to 3. Now I feel comfortable saying "No" to many of the projects and commitments I felt I had to take on.

Personal - NSCA-CPT Certification
I've been slowly working towards my personal training certification for 10 years or more, off and on. This doesn't make sense since it is an area of both passion and competency that I can use to help others. So it is time to focus energy on wrapping this up. The idea of making my passion actionable is invigorating.

Personal - Next NPC Bodybuilding Competition
While working out is just part of my lifestyle, it has been a couple years since my last, and most successful, competition and it is time to focus on my next competition. It tends to add urgency and energy to any workout. and it helps me stick to a healthy diet. All of a sudden, those irresistible bakery-fresh cookies are invisible and not on my radar. The competitive bug has bitten me.

It was both surprising and encouraging that once I mentally thought through the impacts of increased focus in my life, I experienced feelings of empowerment, vitality and clarity. So while I will continue to coach the benefits of focus on work systems, I will also begin to introduce the potential of increased energy and empowerment.

Everything is but an apparition

“Since everything is but an apparition, having nothing to do with good or bad, acceptance or rejection, one may well burst out in laughter.”

-- Longchenpa

Today I awoke and started the day

mired in apparition….

How I wish when I opened my eyes,

I simply laughed.

Across the span of time, our lives that we live out reacting to experiences – label them good or bad, no matter – are so short, so very short. Why spend even a moment worrying when most things aren’t worth the time or effort?

So breathe, laugh, and give thanks….