The Pond of Life

I was chatting with a friend of mine, Chriss Lemmon PhD, about change. Changing old tendencies, coping with random upsetting changes in life, stuff like that. He had a great insight that random events in life, even seemingly unpleasant ones, can shock us into a new way of being. Random events can make us more aware of a personality pattern we'd like to change. Sometimes you notice an old, unhelpful habit pattern in your body that feels like it's 'stuck'. You mistakenly think "that's me, that's a fixed part of who I am." In integral psychology and the human potential movement, habit patterns and feelings are just energy or consciousness that you can let pass through your body. You can allow one to leave and allow another, more helpful, one to come in. Think of yourself as a frog on a lily pad in the pond of life. You can move from one lily pad to another. Which lily pad are you sitting on, afraid to jump to the next one? Maybe you feel a bit of an upset vibe in the pit of your stomach when you go to a party or have a disagreement. Imagine you can let that pattern pass through you, it is just temporary and you can try another one on. Notice what other feelings are available to you. Jump to the next lily pad for fun and see how that feels to move.

Leaving things undone

I love to collect helpful quotes. This one is courtesy of my friend Julie, on allowing yourself to let some things go:

"Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of nonessentials."

Lin Yu Tang

What is one thing you'll allow yourself to let go this week? I'd love comments on how that process went for you.

Queen/King for the day

I was recently talking with a friend of mine, who has a financial planning business, about ways we help others feel valued and special. One great tip she had was called "Queen/King for the Day". Some schools do this activity too, where each child gets one day out of the academic year to be King or Queen. This can involve any activity that makes them feel special, i.e. getting to wear a crown or bringing them water in a special glass when they ask for it. For my friend's team members, they each get one day per year to be 'Queen/King for the day'. She takes them out to lunch at a place of their choosing, they get a special plaque on their desk and various other things on their special day. You can do this activity as a unique way to make employees or loved ones feel special and valued. I'd love to hear how it goes.