Mastering Energy, Mastering Life

"Your level of energy (consciousness) creates your world each moment." - Bruce D. Schneider

As winter prepares to give way to spring and I prepare to close a cycle in my life’s journey and to begin another, I’ve been reflecting on levels of energy.  I’m reviewing my personal energy, where it’s been this year and what I may want to shift as I embark on a new one.  I’m curious about what my observations of the world tell me about the energy ‘out there’ and how I want to dance in it? This is taking me back to a variety of resources, and, as a result, this week’s post is a bit of a shift.

For all the years (20+ now) I’ve coached, I’ve had some level of understanding about our personal energy.  In the early days of my coaching when most of my clients were old enough to know what a switchboard is, I’d often guide them to unplug from unproductive energy and plug into another, higher level of energy.  In my personal development, I use a number of experiments and practices to shift and maintain my energy at levels that are expansive, constructive, healing.

In the system he developed called Energy Leadership, Dr. Bruce Schneider calls these levels ‘anabolic’, energy that is positive, productive, expansive, and fuels us to move forward.  He contrasts these with ‘catabolic’ energy levels, energy that is draining, contracting, and stressful.  Anabolic energy levels allow us to see more possibilities for innovation and problem solving. Catabolic levels, limit our vision.

At each level of energy (Schneider identifies seven) there is a defining core thought, a core feeling and, corresponding action or result.  Victim is the core thought of the lowest level of energy, with apathy as its core feeling and lethargy as its result.  My awareness of this correlation (victim to apathy and lethargy), helped me identify the source of what at the time I considered as ‘being lazy’.  I was able to identify a couple key behaviors and the beliefs under them that had me visiting the victim level of energy.  With that awareness (and some work!), I was able to shift to a higher level of energy.

At the top of the energy levels is non-judgment with the corresponding feeling of absolute passion and the action or result, creation.  It’s the level of the master of life who has the ability to tap into the other levels as needed.  I aspire to master my energy at this level.  Between these two polarities are remaining five levels: conflict (the second of two catabolic levels), and four anabolic levels: responsibility, concern, reconciliation, and synthesis.

Whether I’m using a contemporary system like Energy Leadership or tapping into wisdom of the ancients from esoteric writings, one thing is clear to me: Mastering my energy is mastering my life.

Experiment for the Week: Observe the levels of energy that you plug into several times each day.  Where among the levels do you find you?

Onward to Spring!

"The fundamental structure of the Universe is one of harmony." - Gregge Tiffen

Although winter may yet make another appearance (or two), here in the Sangre de Cristo mountains signs of spring are beginning to show themselves.  A few mountain bluebirds have returned.  Bucks with their beautiful racks are among the small herds of doe (love is in their air!).  Chipmunks are frolicking and chowing down in the open.  Even a few plants are showing a little green.

As one season ends and another begins, I find it’s a wonderful time to reassess my harmony and to identify what’s needed to bring myself into balance with me, with others, and with the planet.  From that place of discovery and awareness, I can look ahead to the activities of spring.  And, I muse with curiosity – what would my life be like if I attended to this daily.

The questions I ask in that assessment include inquiries about my body (my energy, my weight, overall health, any aches/pains needing attention, etc.), my mind (is my thinking supporting and energizing me or dragging me down?) and my spirit (how do I feel about my life, life in general and my relationship with spirit).   Then, I look at how each discovery relates to the others.

I observed that there is some debris left behind from the recent storm that I need to clear on all three levels.  I’ve started by shifting my thoughts and remembering my power to heal.  I realized that I’ve allowed some scarcity thinking the weasel its way in.  “Out!” I command. Really I do know better and I’m reminded that living abundantly in a culture grounded in the opposite requires diligence.  I also remembered the importance of receiving the healing gift of body work.

Perhaps the most important reminder of all is that life is a school.  I’m here to experiment and learn, not to always ‘get it right’.  When I allow myself to suffer, I’m not looking at an event as a learning opportunity.  When I look at the event as a learning opportunity, the satisfaction of learning soothes and heals any suffering and hurt.

So, bring on spring!  Let me plant new seeds in my garden and my home, in my work, in my community and in my life.  Let me deepen my use of nature as my compass and guide.  Let me participate fully and allow life to unfold as it will, with the deep trust that it is unfolding in perfect harmony.  Let me appreciate every breath I take and my connection to the harmony of Planet Earth.

Experiment for the Week: Set aside some time to inquire and observe body, mind, spirit.  What do you notice?  What needs your attention to prepare you for spring?

The Gifts of Stormy Weather

"There is no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather." - John Ruskin

I confess. I love stormy weather.  Storms have both beauty and purpose. They are elements of nature and represent earth’s capacity to maintain and restore her balance.  Earth needs the clearing and the moisture that storms bring.

And, so do we, the inhabitants of earth. We depend on earth’s storms as part of the natural cycle that provides food, warmth, shelter. We relish the freshness in the air when a storm has passed and the quiet stillness before a storm arrives.

We need storms in our personal lives, individually and collectively. We need them to wake us up personally, to give us the opportunity to return to what we know and to glimpse fresh perspectives from that place of knowing.  We need to experience storms as a part of living and experimenting on this journey of life. And, we need tears to cleanse that which lays heavy in our hearts as well as that which creates worry at the surface.

Our opportunity is to embrace the storms of life from a place of love and trust. Not fear.

You’ve probably guessed that, I’ve experienced stormy weather this week. Although there’s a spring storm brewing high in the mountains as I write this, my storm was intensely personal.  In the midst of my storm, there were times that I felt powerless in its wrath and times where I knew that I could turn it off and return to my ‘to do list/plan for the week’.  I chose to ride the storm and discover what gifts she might offer.

In this ride I shed tears for the planet and hugged trees that seemed to return my embrace.   I shed tears for humanity, for the misunderstandings that divide us and the horror and pain those misunderstandings bring forth.  My tears were a cleansing gift. I pray that in some way, large or small, they help me understand that I am not separate from any other, from the planet, from the universe.  I pray that the choices I make from that deeper understanding will seed greater understanding in my community and beyond.

Along the way I found a beautiful rock, heart-shaped, a symbolic gift of the love that is ever present. I rediscovered what I care about in life, and I renewed my courage to live fully the life that is uniquely mine to live as my part in the unfolding mystery we call life.

Exploration for the Week: How have the personal storms in your life supported your growth? Is there a storm brewing that has the possibility for new growth or a fresh perspective in some area of your life?

Mud Puddles and the Power of Love

"A loving heart is the beginning of all knowledge." - Thomas Carlyle

The snow melt continues as temperatures rise and the promise of Spring looms on the horizon here in the Colorado Rockies.  The messiness of the mud and slush seem as metaphors for the messiness of creating, whether a new life, a new approach to a community concern, a new world or all of these.

What can I learn about the power of love from the muddy puddles that appear, grow in size and numbers, and change each day?  How might this guide me in creating my life and us in creating our world?

I’m learning that practicing love is messy and paradoxical and that I can allow the messiness. I’m learning not to ignore it, to clean it up too fast, to put it out of sight and out of mind and go back to old habits favored by the world.  In my willingness to be messy perhaps I can glimpse a new possibility, maybe (re)learning (from my four-legged friend Luke or a small child) the sheer joy of splashing in the mud and the creative spark that may follow

Perhaps I can come to deeply (and therefore consistently) see that the chaos in life and the problems facing humanity and the planet are opportunities for us to splash with joy, to experiment with new approaches in the mud of chaotic times. Perhaps I can embrace fully the opportunities for growth, for inventiveness, and for creativity, both personally and collectively, that what we call and experience as problems represent.

Perhaps splashing in the mud will remind me that the power of love is the sole Universal power that – when we practice it – changes everything.  As I tap into this knowing, this wisdom of the ages I see the power of love to heal, to protect, to soften, to connect and most of all to create – a different life and a different world for us all.

Whether in my own little microcosm of choosing how I will respond to an event (or reacting without making a conscious choice), or in the greater macrocosm of the planet, collectively choosing how we address human and environmental concerns, may love be our answer.  May I/we know and be love in every situation we face, especially those that seem to threaten the self-love required to act from love.

As you glide or slog through the week ahead may you see love in nature, in art, and in every person and event that crosses your path. And, may you return that love with a knowing that, no matter what the experience, with love everything changes.

Experiment for the Week: Notice where love is present in your life, from the inside out and the outside in. Embrace it. Be grateful.

What Nature Teaches Me About Seeing the Beauty in Everything

"Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it." - Confucius

“What is real to me is the power of our awareness when we are focused on something beyond ourselves. It is a shaft of light shining in a dark corner. Our ability to shift our perceptions and seek creative alternatives to the conondrums of modernity is in direct proportion to our empathy. Can we imagine, witness, and ultimately feel the suffering of another?” - Terry Tempest Williams, Finding Beauty in a Broken World

In the past week or so as we’ve experienced sunshine and rising temperatures here in my corner of the Rockies, I’ve been fascinated to observe the snow melt each day.  Little holes in the snow’s surface reveal much larger patches of earth underneath them.  Sheets of snow and ice lean toward the southeast, splattered with dirt, looking like the model of a city skyline.  The tracks of wildlife and neighborhood canines (including Luke) form paths across the once pristine fallen snow.

I’m sure you get the idea.  Flowers bloom, the bloom fades.  A sunny day turns dark and stormy.  A once stately tree dies leaving a trunk and leafless branches.

As I reflected on my observations, I wondered ‘how does seeing beauty in what some would call ‘ugly’, support me in seeing beauty and perfection in everything, especially in those circumstances, people, and politics which trigger a negative response (or, even a reaction)’?

Could it be that they are seeds planted in the garden of nature that I can call upon to remind me that I’m not separate from anything or anyone and that there is beauty in ALL?   If I can see beauty in mud splattered snow, then isn’t that a seed to see beauty in those with whom I disagree, including political leaders whose views and votes are different from my own?  If I can see beauty beneath those holes in the snow that reveal nothing but brown grass, then don’t I have the capacity to see beauty in the words of others whose approaches differ from my own?

To these questions, I say a resounding YES!  I’m aware that developing my capacity to see beauty in all phases of nature required nurturing, both conscious and unconscious.  Over the last five years of being blessed to live in this place of amazing natural beauty, I have consciously opened to all that nature has to offer and put attention to growing my awareness. As a result, I’ve consciously begun to notice and acknowledge beauty in the small details, like the melting snow.   With the awareness that has emerged, I see that nurturing and vigilance that will be required to grow these seeds into consistently seeing the beauty in the people, politics and circumstances with which I disagree.

The contemporary thinker, philosopher, and writer Charles Eisenstein [http://charleseisenstein.net/about-charles/] writes about his decision not to join the ‘March Against Monsanto’ not because he supports the company’s practices, but rather because to do so contributes to what he calls “the story of separation”.  It’s generally easy to protest those things with which we disagree, and not so easy to take a breath and find another way that is beyond the right/wrong, good/bad judgment orientation prevalent in our culture today.

Perhaps, finding the beauty or, if you prefer, the opportunity in those things which we may dismiss as ‘ugly’ or wrong or disagreeable represents a pathway for peace, personally and collectively. Indeed, for our own learning, this may be the most important work of our time.

Question for the Week:  How many seeds for seeing the beauty in everything can you identify this week?

The Importance of Knowing You Are Enough

“I exist as I am, that is enough,
If no other in the world be aware I sit content,
And if each and all be aware I sit content.
One world is aware, and by the far the largest to me, and that is myself,
And whether I come to my own today or in ten thousand or ten million years,
I can cheerfully take it now, or with equal cheerfulness, I can wait.” - Walt Whitman

If you look beneath the surface of last weeks’ I Am Enough message (or most any of my posts), I hope that you’ll consistently find the theme of transformation. As I explore ancient wisdom and the idea of creating new measures of success, I’m aiming to evoke (or perhaps to provoke) personal transformation at the deep level that has the power to change our world.

Knowing that I am (and you are) enough is just such a fundamental shift. It requires that we find the place within that knows this Truth, embrace it deeply, and nurture this knowing like we nurture our children, our precious relationships, and our gardens. That is the essence of self-love.

When our foundation is self-love, self-acceptance, knowing that we are enough, we make choices grounded in love and cooperation, not fear and competition.

We need more choices made from that place inside as our contributions to being the change that has the potential to shift mass consciousness. Only when we fully embrace that we are enough can we accept that those who make different choices, come from different cultures, etc. are enough as well. Knowing that you are enough builds the courage to embrace differences across the street, in our families, our communities, and in cultures around the world.

When we know that we are enough, we don’t need to prove our worth by spending more to have more stuff. When we know we are enough we can give and serve and do work in the world that contributes to building one another up rather than tearing down those with whom we differ. When we know that we are enough, we experience the reality of Oneness, that we are each a tiny, yet integral, part of the entire Universe.

Knowing deeply within that I’m enough is a measure of success that is not of the world. It’s an inside job and only I, and each of us individually, have the power to claim this mark for ourselves.

Coming to deeply know that I am enough requires stamina and courage and the will to cast out beliefs, stories, habits, systems, and people in life who bring me down. It requires practice and puts me squarely in the driver’s seat of my personal power, the power to choose my thoughts, my words, and my actions as reflections of me and for me.

Experiment for the Week:  Strengthen your ‘enough’ muscle by noticing thoughts or feelings that don’t support this knowing. Then, use your will to choose differently.

Enough! I am. You are. Really.

In a world that challenges us to be, do and have more, I find that I sometimes forget that I am enough.  That leads me to question, doubt and into the stuck places I wrote about last week. The power of simply declaring ‘I am enough’ is one way to jump-start myself.

As individuals in a culture of stress, I believe it is wise to reflect on just what embracing our ‘enoughness’ means.  We have accomplished much in life. We continue to do so. We’ll likely continue that process.  Our accomplishments, our possessions, our good deeds are not what make us enough.  There is a peace that comes with knowing deeply that you are enough.

I learned this at a time in my life when I worked in an organization that, in my experience, always demanded more.  Sound familiar?  I hear frequently from clients in organizations large and small. I hear it from parents, teachers, managers, business owners, community leaders, sometimes even myself, all feeling that we 'should' be able to do more.

I was gifted with the declaration below as I started my journey to knowing that I’m enough.

I AM ENOUGH

I am a human being.

I am only a human being. 

I am not superman or superwoman. 

I am not perfect.  

Perfection is a fantasy only good for producing suffering. 

I don’t have to superman or superwoman, no matter what my voices say.

Human beings are finite, 

And, so am I. 

We can’t know everything, do everything, and don’t have forever. 

I am finite,

And, I accept my finitude with dignity and gratitude, 

I am grateful to be human.

The voice whispering in my ear ‘you are not enough’ is just a ghost, 

An echo of a past moment trapped in my body.

I have made the mistake of listening to the ghost as though it tells the truth. 

But it speaks only an old judgmental story, 

With no care for me.

But I have grown up.

 Have my own voice, My own contentment.

When the echoes speak, I will speak my contentment with my own voice, 

And, accept that I am human,

And that is enough.

I have virtues

And, I have vices.

I have competences

And I have incompetences –

Like any other human being.

But I can make offers

I can make requests

I can make promises

I can have ambition

And I can move with others to create,

To create a future

And to live with dignity.

Life is going to do whatever life does

And it doesn’t care

About my assessment of it.

So it is time to have acceptance.

To accept life.

To accept myself.

And to center myself in my commitment

And in my care.

That’s the life of a human being.

Not a superman or superwoman.

I accept myself

I declare satisfaction for being human

I declare

I AM ENOUGH.

Thanks to life.  Amen.

©2002, 2004 Robert Dunham. Enterprise Performance. 

With deep gratitude to the author Bob Dunham for sharing this at a time years ago when I needed it most. You can discover more about Bob’s leadership work here:  http://www.generativeleadership.co/

Moving Past My Stuckness

"An emotional block is excess energy being stored. We know it is there when we want to do something and we don't do it."  Patrece Powers (www.p-systemsinc.com)

Many thoughts swimming in the pool of creating focus for this week’s topic.  I sensed a common thread and finally ‘it’ appeared, relating as it always does to what I’m experiencing, questioning, or aiming to create in life. I name that ‘support from a friendly universe’. Hence, sharing this place that I get to where I stop and what that place is teaching me, is today’s muse.

The Place.  It starts with a hesitation around some step that seems so easy and clear when I planned it. I feel confused, afraid. Definitely I experience excess energy that I’m not channeling in a direction that moves me forward. Ouch!

The Pattern(s).  Over the years I’ve developed several approaches. I beat myself up for not doing what I ‘should’ do (additional ouch!).  I tell myself ‘it must not be quite the right time or the universe would support me to get do it’ (gotta love that – give my responsibility to the universe! – delayed ouch!). Occasionally, I ‘force’ myself to take the step without any joy and no awareness of using my power to choose (not so ‘ouchy’, but the results rarely meet what I’m aiming for). I might even ask, half-heartedly and with no intention of discovering what I can learn, ‘what’s stopping me?’ (sort of taking responsibility, but not really – delayed ouch!).

The Results.  Honestly, I have a darn good life for which I am very grateful.  And, there are some gaps that I need to own without guilt or self-blame. It’s around those gaps and my stories about them that I become most deeply stuck.   I believe what I have the opportunity to learn in this domain can only make life better (much less ouch, both self-imposed and that gifted to me by the friendly universe and expanded possibilities for what I manifest in the world).

The (not so) New Awareness.  As with so much in life, the insight is not entirely new.  I can make the conscious choice to stop and become consciously aware of what I know.  On some level, I know what the emotional block is.  Each time I feel stuck, when stored energy begins to feel like what I imagine being in a pressure cooker feels like, I have the opportunity to allow what I know to come into my conscious awareness.  While I may experience a momentary ‘ouch’ from what’s there to discover, the long term comfort of stepping honestly into self-awareness and the future choices that are sure to present themselves from that willingness seem, in this moment, to be well worth it.

Experiment for the Week:  What’s your experience with being stuck this week?  Hop over the blog and share your discovery [SHORTLINK]

The Universe: Friendly? Or Not?

"I think the most important question facing humanity is, ‘Is the universe a friendly place?’ This is the first and most basic question all people must answer for themselves."  Albert Einstein

I awoke as I’ve come to do on Thursday mornings, curious to know what would emerge as the focus for this week’s post.  My daily ‘Note from the Universe’ [www.tut.com] reminded me that in my experience life’s events have turned out for my highest good.  And, after a frosty morning walk with Luke, of course the Universe is friendly!

I find this easier to observe when I’m aware of my fundamental belief that the Universe is indeed a friendly place.  Like most of us, sometimes I wake up to find myself in the middle of a pond of muddy thoughts that (apparently) I turned on unconsciously as (surely) I wouldn’t consciously choose them. Or, I notice that I’m feeling ‘off’.  Sometimes I react to an unplanned, unexpected event as though it is ‘bad’, or something happens to trigger doubt. My belief in a fundamentally friendly universe is an anchor that I call on to help me navigate through these curve balls of life.

You might recall a few months ago when the house I rented was suddenly put on the market, sold quickly, requiring that I find a new place and move [See The Power of Being Flexible]. As I look back on that experience, there were days when I needed to use every ounce of will I could muster to be in action trusting that the events were ultimately in my best interest.  Believing in a friendly Universe made that task easier.

Of course, sometimes what serves us best may be downright painful, as anyone who has experienced the loss of a job, a relationship, etc. can attest to.  Yet these are the events in life that bring us the greatest opportunities for the deep personal growth that becomes wisdom.  These are the events that when we face them with courage and commitment open the doors to unseen, unexpected possibilities.

Being in the new home reminds me that ‘home’ is important to my sense of well-being, my inspiration and my creativity. I thought the home I was living in provided that fully (and in some ways it did). The new home has multiplied my sense of well-being, inspiration and creativity exponentially and in unexpected ways.

The initial inspiration that triggered me to move to this beautiful, remote community in the Rockies almost six years ago has returned in a new form that feels just right. Unlike the old home, the new one is perfectly suited to its implementation.

As I create this offer to bring others here to rest, restore, retreat at the pace of nature, I’m aware of uncertainties, some known; some, not revealed. Yet, with the faith that I live in a friendly universe, how can the outcome be anything but perfect?   [Stay tuned – you’ll be the first to know! And, if you just can’t wait call me for a preview.]  It's a bit like knowing that the mountains are there, even though not visible in the frosty fog of this winter morning.

Whether a current challenge or opportunity is one of an unexpected change in business, work, relationship or any other area of life, if you find yourself suffering or stuck, look first to your belief about the nature of the universe. Then, let that become a pillar of strength from which to build your thoughts, your plans, and the actions that follow.

Experiment for the Week: Do you believe the Universe is friendly? Notice this week how your thoughts, your emotions align (or not) with your fundamental belief.

New Year New Beginnings New Measurement

"There is not just one world available to you. There is another world, and you have the power to choose where you wish to reside."  Gregge Tiffen

As the new calendar year 2014 begins and the light returns, I’m filled with awe at the possibilities that present themselves not just daily, but moment to moment to deepen my knowledge by using what I know to live more fully into being the creative force in my own life that I am designed to be.

The Solstice marks the beginning of a new cycle for the planet and the turning of the calendar to another January 1 signals the beginning of new cycles in business and other aspects of life. Each are convenient times to create our own personal new beginnings. These are times, especially the start of a new calendar year, when our culture and our systems support us to make changes, to begin again.  We evaluate where we are in our health, our wealth, our well-being. Then, we set goals to give us focus and guide the choices that we make about what action to take next.  For the most part these goals are of the world we have come to accept as ‘real’, the one in which we have placed our quest for happiness, for health, wealth and well-being.

While these goals may bring us achievement, they don’t measure our personal progress in consciousness, the knowledge that becomes wisdom that goes with us when we leave this body behind.  While they may bring satisfaction for a period of time, soon after we celebrate the accomplishment, we hop back on the hamster wheel of life, challenged by this world to go for ‘more’.  The world we’ve come to call the ‘real’ world has no concrete, stable standards. Its rules change. Thus, one day we ‘win’; the next we ‘loose’, regardless of what we’ve done.

I’m not suggesting that we are victims of this world that we’ve made real, but rather that we look beyond AND within for a different world. A world where the way things operate never changes, although how we use the operating manual is a laboratory for growth. I’m suggesting that we discover additional measures to anchor us in a world with ever changing expectations.  To create these measures for myself, here are the questions that I’m considering:

• What am I here to learn?
• What qualities in my life do I choose to more fully develop?
• How well do I see everything in life as opportunity?
• How strong is my belief in the personal power that I have been given?
• How well am I using my capacity to live in the world without becoming of it?

As I launched my part in this new year, I trekked to the top of the Ziggurat … to give thanks for life and the natural beauty that abounds and to choose which world I will inhabit and depend on in the coming year.

As you launch yourself into this new year … whether diving off the high dive into the deep or gentle entering one step at a time, I invite you to join me in creating new measurements as a part of your new beginnings.

Experiment for the Week:  As you kick off the new year, review your goals and look deeply into each one. What deeper measures of success do you see?