…not problems. I could share many things about this “pithy” saying from Getting Things Done (GTD)…it’s true. There is something about writing down a desire. An outcome, result, or a project. Until I actually did this there was some cognitive dissonance with this belief in a world of projects, where there are no problems.
I’m not sure what my problems are. But I’ve decided to take the November challenge on 750words.com. There is still time for most of the world to join. Or commit to something for the month. Along with this, I have decided to devote my writing in November to writing a novel about being with dogs. I want it to be at least 50,000 words.
There have been some amazing moments with dogs and I don’t have a real purpose for writing so this seemed like a good way to keep writing, getting stuff out of my head, focus on something creative, and honor the beautiful canines who’ve come to be my family recently.
Writing down something can serve a lot of purposes. Let it go. Tell a story. Work through something. Share a life lesson. I’ve found that through writing along with deeper listening or life practices, there can be powerful…results. Or projects if you will.
Projects are really commitments to ourselves as our all commitments. What is most important to me right now is health, finding a way to contribute in the world, and this opportunity I have been given to be with a special dog. Really several special animals in an unusual situation.
If I don’t make the word count or novel, then I will appreciate my progress. If I miss a day of writing I have agreed to myself to publish a blog post about why that happened. If I do make my goal of writing daily in November on 750words.com then I will treat myself to a haircut. A little reward.
If I write every day I think there is a strong chance that I will make a novel, or at least write thousands of words about something.
Most of what I do, or what I mean to do in my life revolves around intentional choices, building neural pathways of a certain kind, specific habits, building confidence in my body through small, sustained, daily practices. Also I just write a lot. I use many words, always have, write a lot of texts, share pictures, write notes for myself, use written processes for working through ideas, things I want to do, or things happening in the self.
Right now I have a seven day streak of writing 750words, and I’m directing myself to do it before I do any other writing.
It is free writing, letting go of what has happened, imagining new things, or fleshing out ideas, reflecting on intention. Whatever you want it to be.
Writing daily builds the sense of discipline, space, stability, and helps me see more and feel better, as I understand more of myself and my life.
It takes me about 10-15 minutes to type 750 words though some days it is a struggle, and I just go slow or get whatever I can out to do the practice. I’ve been using this lovely site for over 8 years now. I hope to share more about this site, the data, patterns, and how great it is. Here is a snapshot of some of my data from today.
I want to sign up for the November challenge. I wonder about writing for more of a purpose than just the spontaneous. Also what to reward myself with or what I will do if I miss a day, I don’t know. Things feel arbitrary and I only want positive reinforcement.
Im working on my writing this month and then the streak in and of itself can be a source of motivation too. There have been a lot of on and off days of writing this year.
Consider signing up for November, or just sign in and try writing 750words once.
I would like to talk about this practice with anyone else who is interested, the purpose, the benefits, or how to support more productive writing, morning pages, writing as cultivating intentional life. Or just sign up for the November challenge together.
This past weekend I did catch some music in the park on what felt like a summer day, not a fall day. Is it fall or autumn anyway? I tried to go to first Friday and another fest, but got way laid for different reasons and hope to keep getting out to new experiences, and where I inevitably meet up with friends or meet new ones, especially in Phoenixville but really every where near here. Every where I go.
I will be going to Washington State Nov 1 for a few days and will be doing some stuff there. But this month, October is moving right along and one goal is to play drums with some people to work some songs, another is to get through a whole yoga class, and another is to get out to some music and especially to support or hang with friends. (Maybe another goal is to trim my project list.)
There are plenty of musical and other activities to choose from.
To recap some of what is coming up soon, and this is not the whole of it, just some of what I know about around here:
Especially when everything is changing at an encompassing pace that feels out of your control?
When you don’t know what to do, what the future holds, and the practices, beliefs, and routines, and the sacred rituals all somehow are not sustaining?
Things change. What was sustaining and sacred needs to change too, at least the forms, the frequency…something.
Ideally, before things feel like they are crumbling and out of control, there are ways of being that can be more productive, fun, or healthier, and other ways. And of course we all have our ways of coping, letting go of stress, becoming more right with our soul, feeling better when we are off, or maybe, changing a life situation with intention rather than from a reaction. Sometimes reaction happens, and if there is a good practice to hold it then it will be okay.
I have trained myself to focus on the positive, to learn to focus, it is not a natural thing for me, and by focusing on what we do want, in little, itty bitty, consistent ways every day a lot of magic can happen.
Here is where I’ve been focusing in terms of building health:
Organizing my daily life around self care, including my day, home life, relationships, decisions, activities, focusing on getting good sleep, breathing, eating well, and connecting every day. I use my grid for this.
Centering or meditation and inner work. Currently I practice a meditative way of being with myself and experiences that includes some inner practices that I will share more later (but have an inner practice, here is a good one you can stop and say or think. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoʻoponopono ), or just take three easy breaths that bring in fresh energy and let go of old. It may not feel like much sometimes, but the intention is what matters and it does help.
Playing drum set, learning rhythms, technique, songs, singing along, taking baby steps toward doing music with others, showing up at friends’ music, going out to venues not even knowing what was going on, joining the Philadelphia Folk Society after attending the Philly Folk Fest by a divine twist of good fortune, as I tend to have. Promoting local musicians, encouraging them, played my hand drum in a yoga class. While I would love to play daily, I sometimes need support to do so and also focus on quality, not quantity. So if I do or don’t it is an opportunity for the meditative allowing and not over emphasizing or indulging a particular moment. And its just so cathartic. Take it Easy is one I’m working a lot. And Soul to Squeeze. And Wish you were here. All therapeutic. Plus musicians are immediate community.
One of my favorite songs over the past year… about suffering, and not only. For example, “Where I go, I just don’t know. When I find my peace of mind…I’m gonna give you some of my good time.” Plus very fun syncopation on the snare.
Writing, with prompts, to help others, to share my story, to figure out what has happened. To move the energy, to see new things, to build discipline, simply practice. To role model. To encourage others. To reflect what I am learning. To show up. More to share here too. Also for sharing things that have no other way for me to share. For psychological integration. Ultimately for letting love flow.
Get heart rate up, could be during yoga, walking, dog play, jogging, weights, or something else. Ideally I do this in the woods. Some days I need to rest, so again, it isn’t about perfection or forcing, but a consistent building of more and more whole habits, choices, and strength.
And sharing it with others.
Where all this came from…is also helpful; yoga, all 8 limbs, which I have started learning in the last year has been a basis, and a search to create more health, including a morning ritual, exercise, meditation, community, and enough attention on eating, sleeping, and doing things.
So whatever it is, choose it, build it, and keep it simple as you try it for a time. My morning routine / ritual has been holding me together for years. and it takes a lot to rebuild one, especially when every dimension of life is changing.
These are some of the best things around here that are coming up. Music. Yoga. There will be more things.
October 7: Outdoor concert in Kimberton to enjoy the people and place, support the arts, $12 for students, $20 for adults. Bring lawn chairs. Last week it was sunny and perfect weather. Get outside and meet people. Kimberton is a magical place.
October 9 or 10 Death Cab for Cutie Indie Pop stars hailing from Washington state. I am going to Oct 10.
October 13 – I recently stumbled upon Brick Nova. This is local talent with an affordable show in Philly, intelligent and emotional lyrics and a range of rock sounds that sound both familiar in a good way and original.
October 14: Community and the best yoga teacher around and a magical sounding drum, and good people and a surreal mural you can admire after if beer is not your thing: http://www.conditionthemind.com/events/yoga-lacabra-4/
October 14: Kicking Down Doors Aretha Franklin tribute. Soulful and light..folky funky rock with sweet blends, funky beats, and the best banjo playing you will hear. Highly danceable shows.
October 20: Herman Bruning at the Pick with Ernie Tokay of Kicking Down Doors on drums! If you haven’t been to the pick, go and if you just need something to do, check their calendar or go by. I happened into poetry the other night and it was amazing.
…practice is the greatest protestation of injustice, because it is a refusal to participate in the insanity that creates injustice. I hope more people will realize that the most potent political decision they can make is to invest in their sanity, which consists of nothing more than observing their own confusion. The observation of confusion is the revelation of wisdom, and wisdom is the fuel of a revolution. When we take the time to appreciate the gap between thoughts, we allow thought to touch the present moment.
One main reason I appreciate this post is the tensions that arise for me around the calls for activism and being the change, the seeming largeness of the issues at hand, such as the 99% and humanity’s future, and my own preoccupation at times with where to put my resources and energy on a day to day basis. What is an integral expression of activism? Might it be part of a more holistic way of being and living, and one that includes targeted concrete actions, as well as an internal stance of maturity and intelligence growing from emotional, spiritual, and psychological work on ourselves?
While the author is spot-lighting the transcendent and oneness aspects of practice in my opinion, I don’t want that to be an excuse for non-action. For some of us there is plenty of work to do inside. Through my own inner work, it is my vision that I will be more resilient in the face of the confusion and insanity, and that I can shine light on the internal blind spots caused by the ignorance I perpetuate by failing to observe myself in this way.
It is becoming clearer and clearer to me that these moments of change in ourselves and the world can be an opportunity for growth. Will I and we act in alignment with this growth and future oriented impulse some of us have, and how will that contribute?
Maureen Metcalf is an organizational consultant who has recently co-authored a book, the Innovative Leadership Fieldbook, on a process for leadership development. She reports on a discussion facilitated by Meg Wheatley and Deborah Frieze. I think Meg Wheatley’s model of leadership is integral, or at least post-conventional since she holds a global perspective, works with chaos and complex adaptive systems, and includes some subjective aspects in her work.
I attended a discussion this morning led by Meg Wheatley and Deborah Frieze about their latest book about leaders who walked out of limiting beliefs and assumptions and walked on to create healthy and resilient communities. These Walk Outs Who Walk On use their ingenuity and caring to figure out how to work with what they have to create what they need. They were quite compelling and for those studying Innovative leadership their work appears to point to the same or similar qualities as we do (using different language).
I am intrigued by the description of this group because it sounds like not only are they against or “letting go” of something — their limiting beliefs, but are also for something — “letting come” their visions of healthy and resilient communities.
Maureen poses an important question to help us to stay oriented in our activism and advocacy and that can help us center ourselves in the midst of collective shifting and our own individual restlessness for greater service.
“This is particularly interesting as the Occupy Wall Street movement is showing some signs of walking out. The next question is what are they walking on to?
What are you walking out of in your life? What are you walking on to?
Today’s inspiration is courtesy of a 100 year-old who courageously defied odds to complete the Toronto Marathon this past weekend, as reported here on CBC Sports.
Image courtesy of Frank Gunn/Canadian Press
Sunday’s run was Fauja Singh’s eighth marathon — he ran his first at the tender age of 89 — and wasn’t the first time he set a record. In the 2003 Toronto event, he set the mark in the 90-plus category, finishing the race in five hours 40 minutes and one second. And on Thursday in Toronto, Fauja Singh — whose first name means soldier — broke world records for runners older than 100 in eight different distances ranging from 100 metres to 5,000 metres.
The tender age of 89! Singh used a tragic loss to fuel his motivation to begin running about twenty years ago as an octogenarian. Singh’s goals are lofty for anyone, much less someone who has lived through a time which produced revolutionizing inventions that today we often take for granted such as the micro chip, mobile phones, seat belts, and the ball point pen.
Whether or not Singh knows about Integral Life Practice, I imagine he must have some kind of powerful personal practices to maintain his health and support his vision. Additionally, without his community of supporters, would he have made it across the line? For me, setting my goals and being transparent about them in relationship/community is very important to sustaining practices that I believe may lead to progress.
We don’t all have set world records or run marathons to achieve something remarkable, and those with a more holistic consciousness realize that their remarkable accomplishment may be a marathon that is achieved future generations down the road, well after we are all long gone. Maybe our future achievements will be shaped by the simple decisions we make today, such as when Singh decided to start running.
Take responsibility for your online identity. It is common knowledge that online behavior can impact your reputation with anyone from prospective employers and clients to your family and friends. If you are going to post online, then use the same guidelines for real life. If you would not do or say something in front of your spouse or boss or business partner, then don’t do it online either.
Set up a LinkedIn profile and even a personal website. If you have basic writing skills, then post occasional blog entries. If you are in a particular domain, say career services, then post some information about related topics. This shows you are always learning and proactive.
If you play games on Facebook, then at least make sure you have your settings configured so that you are not inundating your friends with continuous announcements about how you got a new farm or mafia member. Your settings should be on encrypted anyway, so most of those applications won’t work, which is just as well.
Don’t use profanity, and don’t ever insult anyone’s character. Think of the internet as a perpetual opportunity to sell yourself and create a new opportunity or to damage your reputation and miss out or even lose your job.
For those of us who wish to remain Facebook friends with someone who seems obsessed with games or uncouth behavior/language, you can hide your friend’s posts or all posts by the particular application
Lastly, don’t ignore this issue. If you have questions, then get some help. Email me or do a Google Search.
This is an editorial article, and meant to be advice for myself first.
I feel like making a blog post, but I am afraid I don’t have enough focus. This is a relevant challenge and familiar feeling, though usually I am assessing a client’s resume in light of their goals and career strategy and easily seeing that they could use some more focus and some ways in which they could achieve that.
Many people are making new goals and resolutions for work and other areas of life, and I want to do this as well. However, I want to be reasonable. I want to be aspirational, but commit to something that is within reach. I find that writing is a path or practice to help me be more clear on what I want to reach and what the boundaries are around what expectations would be the right balance of support and challenge for myself.
I hope and even intend to finally be more consistent in writing this year, starting as early as next month, but for now bear with me while I explore.
What is my passion, what is my focus, what do I resonate with? I am continually drawn to the themes of learning, writing, education, and integration. What are my top “learnings” from 2010? I have some confusion around my framework/strategy that supports my hesitancy around writing this. However, I need to break through the blogging and branding paralysis. I want to deeply own where I am and what is, or what the current reality is, but I know that part of this desire is an impatience and a frustration to “let come” and feel flowing, validated, productive, and meaningful…I feel a need and responsibility to cite sources of psychologists or business leaders or career experts in order to support my writing. In due time, I definitely will share these resources.
This – right now – is my own form of presencing — deeply feeling, sensing, seeing, and owning what is, getting a taste and a picture of the current reality. If we don’t know what here is, then it seems that it would be more difficult to take the next step or become what I imagine or even to imagine at my best.
Back to my spontaneous integration of my top three themes I learned about in 2010:
1) Ownership — I don’t make every deadline, but I set intentions to be present and give my best effort and do many things such as design my work day and space and life so I can focus as much as possible on my work. I am not perfect and strive to have patience with others as I experience what I perceive as imperfections. I am honest in my edges, expectations, and shortcomings, and if I sense I cannot deliver, then I will tell you and help you get some help elsewhere…even this is not perfect, but there is progress.This theme is related to responsibility, commitment, and accountability.
2) Reflection — For me, regular reflection is critical to my well being, growth, and performance in life/work. Whether internal, in writing, in talking…reflect. Am I meeting my goals? Did I take steps on/to my path today? Am I more aligned with my intention? If not, was there a formidable reason for this? IS intention completely overwhelming as a concept? Am I getting some feedback from people in my network? Better yet, perhaps this is action and reflection, but I have been doing a lot of action, and even a lot of reflection, and I believe I could integrate this even more.
3) Appreciate — I appreciate my friends, family, colleagues, and clients. Without Writing Wolf and Joe and the many clients I served last year with freelance writing and contract business services, I just would not be who I am in the same way, and it is important for me to tell them (you) that I appreciate you. This appreciation practice is not only good for the spirit and mood, but also when authentic and specific, can be a key link in maintaining relationships and contributing positive energy.
It is my hope and intention that this post is authentic and useful to someone…it has been useful to me. I suspect that if we all had to say what the top things we learned last year were, they might all be very individual reflections. If anyone reads this and wants to share what you are learning or some other way you are integrating parts of your self and life, I would love to hear.
I have been curious and open, and without that, these words would never have emerged in the way that they did…I still don’t know how consistent I will be on this blog, but I have been writing 750 or more words since September 5th and only missed four days. After losing my 109 day streak, I am now back at 8 days in a row and am going to attempt to use the writing not only for spontaneous reflection but to stimulate some more focused blogging. Click here to check out the site, and let me know if you do this practice!
Karilen Mays 
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