Winnowing the High Points

Three weeks into retirement and I am busier than ever.  I have taken these three weeks to decompress from a work environment that I had been in for 15 years and I have winnowed out some of the high points from this dynamic experience:
1.  People, People, People.  In the end, it is truly all about the people.  We, each of us, stands on the shoulders of those who have chosen to serve us, to believe in us, to lift us up and encourage us to be better than our current self.
2.  Greed and a false sense of entitlement can stunt an organization's  growth, or bring a business to it's knees faster than anything.
3.  Relationships within an organization and extending out to vendors and suppliers are the true figures of success.  If ANY of these are not in alignment with culture, the culture is at risk of failure.
4.  The true nature of an organization or business can be discerned by carefully examining the nature of the relationships that organization has.  This is the true tell.  Language and PR is simply smoke and mirrors if the relationships aren't true to the culture.
5.  It takes a brave company and visionary leadership to diverge from the status quo.  Just as in the relationships, the quality of leadership within an organization can make or break its culture. 
6. HOW an organization moves towards its vision of culture is equally as important as that vision itself - strong arm tactics have no place in a people centric culture.
7.  Building culture takes time, and more importantly, building culture takes LOVE.
8.  LOVE in a culture is about tolerance, accepting differences, nurturing, encouraging, appreciating, forgiving...LISTENING (Listening is NOT about you.  In order for a person to KNOW that you have listened to them, THEY have to feel heard and understood.)
Finally, there are no organization, no business, no culture, except for the people who choose to believe and make it happen.  In the end, it comes down to building faith, trust, and love.

Wishing many blessings to all.

Reflections in the Eyes of Others

It took me a long time to be able to know my life path vs. those that belonged to people who's paths I crossed.  There were many times when I swerved onto someone else's path thinking that it was better than mine, only to discover that it was better for them, but not better for me.

I am comfortably on my path now.  It is clear and well paved and inviting.  What is even more reassuring is that it FEELS right.  There is a familiarity even as I round bends that I don't know what to expect.  I have learned to accept others perspectives without necessarily being swayed.  I have come to understand that the reflection I see in the eyes of others is based on their perception of who I am and what my path is or isn't.  Sometimes the input of others can be like a hall of mirrors - it can be easy to lose your way if you are guided by others insights.  As interesting as these insights from others are, they can not hold a candle to the light of self reflection.  It is through self reflection that I am able to right my way and navigate effectively.  I give tremendous credit to my observer - that part of my psyche  that looks on during events and advises and guides.  This observer capacity helps me ride out emotions, and trauma, and attachments, and come out the other side with understanding and positive forward momentum.  In the end, the only one who truly needs to be able to make sense of my journey is me.  Self reflection allows me to spend time doing just that.

Wishing you blessings and happiness.



I Shall Stay Until the Wind Changes

Having spent a good portion of my life raising a child, I have discovered that quite a few of my favorite quotes come from children's movies and books.  One of those favorite quotes is from Mary Poppins.  One night as she is tucking Michael and Jane into bed for the evening, the children ask her how long she is going to stay, and she replies, "I shall stay until the wind changes."

Change is a given.  Each moment there is change happening all around us and within us.  From the moment we are born, to the moment that we die, we are dealing with change.  I have seen the effects of change on others and on myself, and I believe that I have made an honest attempt to learn from what I see.

The wind has changed in my life, and like the character in Mary Poppins, I have moved on to the next dimension of my calling.

I like that word "calling" as it appropriately embraces the idea that something is beckoning, inviting - a door has opened that frames something familiar but yet still unrealized.  Recently the wind has changed, a doorway has opened and I have stepped through it.

Some change is forceful, brutal, and uncontrollably chaotic.  This was NOT one of those times.  This change built over a period of a couple of years, taking shape, growing in strength - it was titillating - like the smell of something lovely every now and then drifting into my frame of reference, pulling my attention towards its familiar yet unidentifiable scent.  At the same time that this change was developing, my existing world was becoming more and more draining, and less and less supportive.

What I discovered is that "entitlement" is a slippery slope that leads to hierarchical disenfranchisement.  Working with people who have a sense of entitlement can sap the life out of you, and, even more disheartening, it is contagious.  That is not my calling.

So here I am.  In my new home, working at a new job and feeling HUGE relief as I snuggle up to my calling. In the end it has become so simple - I am the light and the spirit so that people can realize that they too are the light and the spirit, through reflective play in the infinite field of what is.

Wishing you all much Love and many blessings.