Tag Archives: adaptation

Don’t Blame the Shepherd

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“If you are acting like a sheep, don’t blame the shepherd.”

—Eli Jaxon-Bear, American spiritual teacher and author

Image of a heard of sheep

Image from Unsplash by Sam Carter

Throughout our lives, we have been taught we have to “go along to get along.” Fitting in, being one of the gang, and literally being “with it” has made us sheep in many of our communities.

Take a moment to identify all the personal, professional, and community-based groups that herd us together. Consider all the new digital communities that foster similar practices and beliefs.

Where does being a sheep actually work for you and serve your best interest? Where does it clearly not support your most genuine self?

EXERCISE:

In what areas of your life is it time to act like a lion versus a lamb?

What bold, courageous or simply contrarian thing will you say or do to say goodbye to these shepherds?

All in the same boat

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“We didn’t all come over on the same ship, but we’re all in the same boat.”

—Bernard M. Baruch, 20th Century American Philanthropist

Have you ever watched the procession of countries an the opening ceremonies of the Olympic Games? Summer or Winter, you will definitely see thousands of athletes from hundreds of countries, each with their own languages, cultures, and traditions. This makes it appear that we are separate and distinct from one another.

With technology, we are in a hyper-connected world, with increasing evidence that through economic, social and environmental factors, we are all in the same boat. We sink or swim together.

EXERCISE:

Consider reading the latest edition of The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman, or his latest book, Thank You for Being Late, to explore your own place in this global boat.

Tomorrow Hopes We Have Learned Something from Yesterday

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“Tomorrow hopes we have learned something from yesterday.”

—John Wayne, American film icon

Image of Past Present Future on a timeline

Image from SpaceSys

When you settle under the covers and reflect on your day, what factors bring you satisfaction and put a smile on your face? What represents a day well spent to you?

Most people would say learning something new, and making a positive contribution are keys to living a meaningful life.

EXERCISE:

What do you intend to learn and contribute today, to make for a much brighter tomorrow?

Ships don’t sink because of the water around them

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“Ships don’t sink because of the water around them. Ships sink because of the water that gets in them. Don’t let what’s happening around you get inside you and weigh you down.”

-Author Unknown

Image of the wrecked SS Edumund Fitzgerald

Image of SS Edmund Fitzgerald by NewsMax.com

As a citizen of Michigan, I greatly appreciate our five Great Lakes, the largest group of freshwater lakes in the world. The lakes have been traversed by native people since the dawn of time, and by western man since the 17th century.

Thousands of ships have sunk in these waters, and an estimated 30,000 people have lost their lives as a result. The most famous was the wreck of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, which sank in a Lake Superior storm in November, 1975, with the loss of the entire 29-member crew.

What personal and professional waters are you navigating these days? What stormy or rocky events are causing you to take on water and giving you that sinking feeling?

EXERCISE:

How and in what ways can you bail any water that has entered your worlds, and begin sailing toward calmer, more prosperous seas?

Nobody in the history of the world has ever washed their rental car

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“Nobody in the history of the world has ever washed their rental car.”

⏤Author Unknown

Image of a car in the shower

Image from ultimatecarwashanddetail.com

Are you familiar with the “Endowment Effect”?

I wasn’t either, until I learned that it is our tendency to undervalue things that aren’t ours, and to overvalue things because we already own them.

Do you, like many people, have drawers, closets, or even entire rooms filled with items that you haven’t used or worn in years? What are these items worth to you, and what might it be costing you in having them take up space in your world?

Consider what you would actually pay for these items, if you didn’t own them already.

EXERCISE:

Imagine that you are planning to change your place of residence. The two criteria I’d like you to consider as you go through the things you own are:

  1. You will be downsizing your living and storage space by 25-35 percent.
  2. You must pay a substantial extra fee to bring all non-essential items along.

What would stay, and what would go?

What actions will you take based on your answers?

FRIDAY REVIEW: ADAPTATION

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Friday Review: Adaptation

The law of natural selection makes it clear: those who adapt survive. Those who don’t, don’t.  Here are a few adaption-related posts you may have missed. Click on the links to read the full messages.

“There are people whose clocks stop at a certain point in their lives.”

 

 

 

 

“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.”

 

 

 

“Every success story is a tale of constant adaptation, revision, and change.”

 

 

 

The Real Question is not

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“The real question is not whether life exists after death. The real question is whether you are alive before your death.”

—Osho, Mystic Guru and Spiritual Leader

Image of Osho

Image from znanje.org

Over twenty years ago I attended a seminar with almost 200 other people. The session leader posed the question:

Why do most people wake up in the morning?

After the audience provided all the expected responses such as to go to work, or to start the new day, he shared his own thought, which was:

People wake up in the morning because they did not die in their sleep.

When the shock of his answer dissipated from the audience, we began a most interesting and engaging inquiry into what it means to be fully alive. Common aspects of being “fully alive” included traveling, learning, extraordinary relationships, spiritual pursuits, and making a bigger difference in the world.

EXERCISE:

What adjustments and changes are you willing to make in your life to cause you to enthusiastically and energetically bound out of bed each morning?

What one action will you take immediately to build this into a life-changing habit?

If your feet are firmly planted on the ground

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“If your feet are firmly planted on the ground, you’ll never be able to dance.”

—Iris Johansen, Crime Fiction and Romance Writer

Image of dancer's bare feet

Image from Flickr by Roger Jones

Who do you know personally or professionally that is exceedingly stubborn, rigid, set in their ways, and rarely budges in their thinking and actions? These are people who almost never produce new and better results because they are living examples of Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity: doing the same thing over and over, expecting different results.

Who are the people you know that are open-minded, flexible, and even playful—people who “dance” with life, always exploring and creating new possibilities around them?

EXERCISE:

Where in your world is it appropriate to stand firm? Where is it time to be more flexible and dance to the music of your own life vision?

Heated Situations

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“When you want to fight fire with fire, remember that the fire department uses water.”

—Author Unknown

Image from Flickr by Jeshua.nace

Image from Flickr by Jeshua.nace

When was the last time you were in a heated argument with tempers flaring and things getting out of control? If you cannot recall a specific event, just turn on a local, national, or global news program to see plenty of examples!

Rarely do such interactions result in win/win outcomes. Most of the time, we are left with win/lose or lose/lose results.

When we consider how to put out undesirable fires, all we need to do is take a bit of coaching from professional fire-fighters: use water to reduce the temperature of burning materials and extinguish the flame.

EXERCISE:

What new and more constructive ways of dealing with heated situations can you find to produce a better result for everyone involved?

Friday Review: Adaptation

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Friday Review: Adaptation

How adaptable are you as you go about your day? Here are a few adaptation-related posts you may have missed. Click on the Quote to read the full message:

QC #1006a

 

“Beware of all enterprises that require a new set of clothes.”

 

 

QC #1006b

“A wise man adapts himself to circumstances, as water shapes itself to the vessel that contains it.”

 

 

 

QC #1006c

“The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.”