I have a beautiful little striated rock that has been sitting on my desk for years. I just like it. It looks like it has been around a long, long time and has been shaped by many experiences. Now I carry it with me wherever I go - whenever possible, right in the palm of my hand. Want to know why?
Perhaps like some of you, the economy is wreaking havoc on my livelihood. Frozen budgets, cancelled events and shifting priorities have taken an awful toll, both on my budget and my spirit. Until…
Until I remember this reality: What I give my attention to is what I will live. It's incredibly simple: If I focus on the fear, everything shuts down - my imagination, my energy and my ability to see anything that is not aligned with the fear. If I focus on my purpose (to share transformative ideas) and intention (to live joyfully, embracing and growing the abundance that is around me and is me), I am energized and see what is possible.
The first may satisfy that part of me that learned that I must "face facts," but robs me of the energy and flexibility to do so. The second activates my focus, stimulates ideas and spurs me to action. Ironic, isn't it?
So once again, I am left with the same question that confronts each of us in each moment: Will I do what works or what I have learned to do by watching those around me?
Carrying that rock in my hand may seem silly, but it works. It reminds me to focus on what I want - and to see the incredible beauty and opportunity that each new moment offers. I choose silly. I choose life. I choose joy.
You?
In the recent (1/19/09) issue of Newsweek magazine, Anna Quindlen penned an eloquent plea for Barak Obama to deliver an Inaugural speech that "unites, inspires and challenges" us in a way that hasn't been heard in decades.
We so desperately want to be well led, and leaders inspire. Leaders instill hope and evoke passion. Leaders have a vision of what is possible and make us want it too. Leaders help us see our best selves and want to live up to what we see.
I remember what it felt like to be inspired by heroes and orators like Martin Luther King Jr., Bobby Kennedy and Malcolm X, and let me tell you, I am ready to be inspired again. So when Barak Obama accepts the office of President of the United States and speaks words that I know will make my chest swell, my heart pound and my spirit soar, I will not resist. It's a new day, and I plan to let myself be swept away by the emotion of it all - completely and unapologetically.
He's already got me, so it won't take much, but I have the feeling he may go way beyond what I have imagined. For he understands that it is in this place of hope that our best selves are conceived and given wings.
So, before you say a word, Mr. Obama, thank you for filling us with hope. And to my fellow citizens, thank you for the collective wisdom that made this day possible.
Does family history matter?
If you've worked with youth - or lived your own life - for any time at all, you know the answer to this question: Of course! People who grow up with supportive, loving, stable families tend to have an easier road than the rest of us. You can see it in their eyes. You can hear it in their words. You can feel it in your bones: They feel solid and sure, and they see life as possible.
The question is: Is this information useful? Well, I certainly want to pay attention to how these lucky SOB's see the world. I want to know how it feels to be in their skin. I want to know what made them that way.
And… I can't make my own or anyone else's family history any different than it was. It's past, gone, water under the bridge (even if I'm still living in it). No control, no fixing, no "do-overs."
But isn't there great benefit to understanding your history? Well… some insights bring relief, yet there always seems to be another (and another and another) layer to the onion. We can spend a lifetime peeling back these layers and, in the meantime, forget to live our own lives. Our story becomes their story. Our eyes are always looking backward. And the box we live in remains very small.
So what happens if we acknowledge that what was (or is), simply is - then, with a shrug of the shoulders, turn our attention to the future and focus on what we want, not what we don't want. I have some ideas about how this might (and does) work but, instead of sharing them here, I'd like to open the discussion.
What do you think? What is your experience?
Some time ago, I set up a Facebook page. I read that this was a smart thing to do, though I was quickly overwhelmed by the clutter of options: invite a friend, confirm you're a friend, write on my wall, blah, blah, blah. How do people have time for all this chatter, I wondered. So my page was pretty quiet, mostly a hassle to remember it was there.
Then, a few weeks ago, something interesting started happening. People my age were sending me friend invitations. They were posting messages and responding to each other. I was actually interested and started inviting others. I still didn't do it more than once or twice a week, but I liked feeling the connection to friends and neighbors who I otherwise did not make time for. I feel more connected, less alone. I'm learning about things that would otherwise not enter my world. I'm metaphorically spending a little time by the back fence.
So in the New Year, I'm getting over myself and my petty judgments about how I'm too old and much too busy. That's a crock. Connecting with others is important and fills my tank. I'm not going to spend hours online with it - not even many minutes. But people matter and the back fence is gone and this is a new way to be part of community. Who knows, maybe I'll even create a new community for all of us. If I do, are you in?All content © Chris Trout
Some rights reserved