When it Pours

I'm seeing red. And it's a beautiful sight.

It's not the means to the end. The means is hard work, focused activity. Centered on staying out of my comfort zone with cold, hard, long hours of desperation. The activities that drain my energies.

Entrepreneurship is a glorious enterprise. Freedom to create, freedom to decide, freedom to structure, to plan, to witness the rewards firsthand. But it's not all that. It takes having a focus when you're on a mission, inspired. It takes trial and error and error and error and error and error and more trial and error. The error rains hard, rains often and comes down on you like relentless thunder. And just when you're looking for the rainbow, for signs of potential, hidden next to the weeds and the beaten-down path a bud peeks through.

It takes only one bud to turn my hurt from muddy relentless downpours to an upswing of a smile. Simple possibility. And I'm on my way, back to the means. Awaiting the day that my focused activity, activity that is meaningful, productive and desired pours forth and in response the prairie turns green. The day when I will really know what it means to work hard.

Divine Inspiration

I cry when truly inspired. I see something, hear something or experience a moment that is so engaging, so bone-chilling or uplifting that all I can do is accept the fact that my tear ducts are full and my heart is pounding. It's all I can do, aside from breathing with air fresher than moments before.

This happened when I for the very first time watched the movie Oliver and held my breath when the cute young hero of the film approached his master of the orphanage with open hands and empty bowl simply to say,

Please sir, I want some more.

I knew what the result would be, and probably, so did our fine young friend. Yet, despite the ridicule, despite even the illogical request, he chose to act from desperation in ways others around him had no courage to do.

Again this outpouring of the spirit within gushes forth from me when I see folks manage themselves admirably in the face of danger, perhaps simply by not losing control. Or when they demonstrate physical agility in uncommon ways. Such as in the case of a performer I saw this morning. Chris Bliss, a masterful juggler, tickles my nerves as he performs not only this talented skill, but

drums

phenomenally to the Beatles' incredible song, Carry That Weight.

Chris's focus, his technique and his interpretation of the music builds and builds in just over 4 masterful minutes. Astounding! And better even than that is the audience's immediate reactions. There is nothing like moments of uplifted spirit.

Unless it moves us into action. To begin, check out Chris Bliss's You-Tube video by clicking on my title up above. See what it does to you.

Breakthrough!

Undeniably - the most classic benefit of getting out of our comfort zones (leaving the house, having an appointment, stepping in front of a group or seeking input) is getting affirmation, recognition and/or appreciation of our efforts. Yes!

As individuals we generate opinions about our own ideas and strengths, yet until we see their impact on others, we question our own potential. And the longer we stay in our comfort zones, the longer we cherish our own thinking. But that moment is short-lived. Seeds of doubt enter our mind, ready to devastate us. Soon we scratch our head around how to handle objjections. This leads to questioning our decision to get out with our ideas, and then avoiding the public promotion at all.

Unless we are ready to completely give up on our own ideas and thinking, there is only one option that gets us out of this dilemma. Get out.

Get in front of others, and although the diarhea attacks take root, push on through. Find out what it's like to stand on your own two feet and deliver your message. Especially when you're prepared. And you're excited. There is nothing like seeing a sea of faces in front of you, connecting with one at a time and sharing what you have.

Maybe it's about helping those with you. Or about gathering information, discovering value fulfilling a duty. Without a doubt, it will lead you to the next step. Without it, there is nothing but a wall. But when we step up, step out and step forward the view looks different.

Before you were seeing things through your logic. Now you're seeing through your spirit. What a lift.

Back against the Wall

It's another one of those days. You've been here before, you don't like it, because everything around you is shutting down, closing you off and you're sure you can't survive.

Doubt surrounds you. The voice in your head is screaming, "What is the matter with you?!"

You look for signs of hope, possibility, and all you see is the wall. Closing in.

You close your eyes and images of ridicule and sarcasm stream into view. Your friend who turned away, the boss shaking his head, and even your own face in the mirror.

It's an ugly world. Do you open your eyes and look for the crack in the wall or keep them shut and simply learn to take it?

These are the only questions that make any sense to you, and so far the answers are on the other side of the wall. How do you get there?

The Case for Boundaries

This morning I am ready to hit the ground running - even though it's Monday.

Over the weekend I got away from my usual workaholic manner and focused on pleasure reading, friends and a great roadtrip. I was able to clear my mind. Additionally, I ate more than usual and found I really wanted to get to the gym this morning.

So I had several things going for me - desire to get to the gym for much-needed carb-reduction and a clear focus for my work week.

There are often weekends when I work on research or writing projects simply because of the freedom to accomplish things uninterrupted. And because I'm on Facebook for both business and pleasure, my mind tends to stay engaged for business, constantly making mental notes of follow-up, creating new ideas to explore and staying "ON". When that happens, when my weekend feels like the rest of my week, Monday rolls around and I'm already exhausted.

The gym routine helps, because it helps my motabolism adjust and boost energy levels, yet when I've been ON all weekend, I don't want to get out of bed. I begin with a negative attitude and I wonder if I can last all week committing to the plans I've made for myself.

However, when I actually am OFF - when I wait until Sunday evening to cross that line in the sand to review upcoming plans for the week and what I need to do to prepare, then I've put the necessary boundaries in place. I've demonstrated faith in self. I remember there is enough time in my upcoming week to focus on and prepare well for meetings, presentations and clients. And what is needed now is a mind clearing. I've demonstrated faith in outside forces to lift me up, to give me the needed boost outside of mental exercises. To make me laugh, love, get other perspective.

So when it comes to Monday, that great day of honest labor and creativity, I come to the experience fully charged. Tuesday builds from it and Wednesday opens up even wider with potential to not only accomplish, but also support key people around me. Thursday then takes on a feeling of pride for all the great focus and commitment already experienced without cashing in the week. For there is so much more to follow through on before the next week comes into focus. And then Friday is about tying up loose ends, wishing others well and sealing the deals for next week before shifting gears and getting prepared for the biggest, most important part of the week - the week end.

Those lines in the sand are not permanent. They are easily washed over, re-drawn and muddied. Yet we must persist in creating the lines and keeping those boundaries. It's for the good of our spirit, those of others we support and influence and the higher power of valueing peace. Keep me accountable. Help me draw those lines. And you'll get the same support back.

Weekends Prove Who We Are

This weekend we got out. Starting with Friday night and ending Sunday morning, we reconnected with friends. Sounds like a fairly common behavior, doesn't it? Not usually for me.

What usually happens is driven by my "cave" mentality. Although I may be outdoors, time is usually spent in isolation, reflection, domestic tasks and low-key entertainment. Penny conscious and refueled by alone time, I usually spend the majority of my weekend reading, doing mindless work and resting.

It has dawned on me that our weekend time is our freedom to be ourselves, the time we have to do what all week long we have looked forward to doing. And yet, most times the weekend comes and goes with little thought. It is my time to take off the 8-5 weekday hat (or most often, the 10-hour day hat in whatever configuration works) and see who I really am - what most is important outside of my professional focus.

In looking at how I generally spend my time, I see a fairly selfish focus. It's all about me and my needs. Is this what I meant when I chose to live my past 49 years of weekends the way I have? Talk about communicating what's important to me. What I do with my free time proves what I value.

Goodness sakes. I could be reaching out to friends, volunteering in the community, reconnecting with family or taking on some other noble activity. Because it is why we are here. And yet I spend so much time, my free time, in thoughtless, mindless ways.

If weekends prove who we are, what will my upcoming weekend plans be? And who am I proving anything to?

Getting out of the Rut

This morning I saw a glimpse of a news story on the national news featuring four young guys who were traveling around the country to complete items on their Bucket List of things to do before they die. In so doing, each time they check off an item, they turn to the community around them to assist someone else in doing the same.

It occurs to me that most of us are buried alive (in their words) by our mindset. For instance, about 7 or 8 years ago I went through an extensive leadership training which forced us each to write out and share our dreams and desires in life. Almost simultaneously, my minister asked several of us the same question. In each case, I was at a loss.

I hadn't spent my life focusing on what I wanted. I spent my life focusing on how to make good where I was. Opening the lens to consider other options or extensions beyond me took a lot of effort. However, once there, the energies within began churning. Sure, I realized I was confined by several factors, yet much of the joy of life is in negotiating the challenges we face.

Through my coaching experiences of helping others become what they hope for, I constantly run into the expression, "But I can't." Excuses then roll out, either around money, time, priority, natural talents, etc. Just as how I felt back when I shifted gears from teaching to coaching.

"But Merri, you are half-way to retirment. It's not logical."
"What do you know about business, Merri?"

Logic and black and white circumstances work on paper. They simply don't fuel our motivation and sense of well-being.

The young boys in the morning broadcast seem to feel a vocation won't appeal to their purpose. Or perhaps it's just the reverse - a vocation may come out of it. Let's say that's the case. Nonetheless, they are taking a risk of being ridiculed for playing around with their life instead of growing up or disappointing someone for not entering the work force. What they are gaining is a sense of self. And until any of us has a sense of value, none of us will see our own purpose in life.

We may punch a time-clock, yet our attitude and spirit will stay in a rut, muddied by life and the negativity we attract.

Our hope is that instances of dreams we had early in life will resurface. My early dreams were of getting on a stage. Although I studied theatre, performed community and local college theatre, the biggest experiences of living my purpose come when helping others perform. Maybe that's when I make presentations on confidence building, on handling tough conversations, or on connecting well with others. Maybe it's when I'm face to face with someone who needs a boost, who is reconnecting to their spirit and is learning that logic isn't all that matters.

Define what you desire and then examine how important it is to OTHERS that you work towards it. Without that perspective, our appeal to self-sacrifice will talk us out of it, and our rut will deepen.

The day I put away the chalk and gradebook I felt fear, yet I never felt more spirit and support. It is so worth getting out of the rut, even if it takes letting others help us.