Yesterday I went to the Pacific Grove sanctuary for the Monarch Butterflies as they cluster- 10,000 at a time. The orange and black filled the air. Two Docents gave lively vignettes about the tagging process- just imagine yourself at dawn in the Monterey cold air tinged with ocean salt and your taking each individual Monarch from his scrum and placing a round tag on its wings and then blowing warm air on it so that its wings will open again and they can fly away.
The Docent's seemed to me an example of Nobility of purpose put to a reason that is small but inspiring nonetheless.
There are so many examples of people who spend thier time doing small acts of kindness, courage, grace and love with no thought of being on stage or recognized by others- no applause for these two who braved the cold and were hanging out with a creature that could not vote or pay them a salary.
I like the saying that you will see a miracle when you believe in it, not that miracles happen when you believe. You have to look for the Noble- it is there.
I worked with two women at a High tech company recently who were so unselfish and looking for ways to show that there was good in people through the medium of adult learning courses- they were working in an environment that was not at all conducive to optimism but they chose to be a demonstration of positive well being regardless of the external circumstances.
My point? Take this new year and look for the kindness, the compassion, the generosity in others. Or be the one who loves no matter what.
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Nobility requires the right state of mind
Some people are naturally mentally alert, very intuitve, highly conscious of what they think, feel, sense, what their motives are, what they intend and what they want from you.
Not me.
I had to come to the right state of mind after 30 years of hard work.
30 Years ago, I felt like I was a walking automaton. I only know that in retrospect and with the contrast provided by training.
Here is an analogy. Imagine that you were committed to developing a stronger physical sense of well being. Stamina, strength, flexibility all would be on the top of your list of attributes that would be desirable.
Mental training is no different. To be mentally tough, resilient, flexible, creative and alert all require skills except for those blessed with natural talent.
The training process is well established in many parts of the globe.
Go to Asia and watch the rigor, effort and discipline that young children exert in music lessons, learning languages other than their own, studying their required courses and you see how starting at a very young age they are being taught the value of training the mind.
Here are four simple ways to get started if this should appeal to your sense of rightness.
1. Cut out distractions to your attention. Splitting your focus between cell phone, computer screen, friend's voice, telephone, your partner's requests for your attention, kids needs and your work is a great way to reduce your IQ and suboptimize your ability to excel. If you are on the phone be completely and absolutely on the phone with full undivided attention, if you are making love keep your mind on the sensations and the full experience of lovemaking, if you are listening to your kids then give them the gift of your attention-fully engaged.
2. Train your self to spend 5 minutes per day on doing some form of attention- enhancing activity. There are practices in eastern disciplines like "Mindfullness" training, Yoga, martial arts that are amenable to the western student and enjoyable to practice. Or, give yourself the gift of completely listening to your favorite music- dissolve into that Chopin etude or Eric Clapton guitar rift.
3. Find a trainer. It is way more easy to train with someone who is already skilled at mental training than to try to do it yourself. One way of doing that is to buy a good tape, CD or DVD from Sounds True Catalog that appeals to you from a solid, experienced teacher. Or read a book on the subject of meditation or Yoga or Peak Performance or any one of the 1000 subjects readily available to you in this age.
4. Apply the skills that you acquire everywhere. I have been deeply impressed by the emphasis that mental training can have on personal relationships. For example, it is common for all of us to have conversations that are difficult to hear. Someone says something that we don't agree with or that hurts our feelings or that we just plain see differently.
If you learn to be patient and listen with all your focused awareness, you find that the conversations tend to go better and you often learn something you did not know.
I like your responses. Write to me at elad2@ix.netcom.com or go on my website www.noblepurposeconsulting.com
Not me.
I had to come to the right state of mind after 30 years of hard work.
30 Years ago, I felt like I was a walking automaton. I only know that in retrospect and with the contrast provided by training.
Here is an analogy. Imagine that you were committed to developing a stronger physical sense of well being. Stamina, strength, flexibility all would be on the top of your list of attributes that would be desirable.
Mental training is no different. To be mentally tough, resilient, flexible, creative and alert all require skills except for those blessed with natural talent.
The training process is well established in many parts of the globe.
Go to Asia and watch the rigor, effort and discipline that young children exert in music lessons, learning languages other than their own, studying their required courses and you see how starting at a very young age they are being taught the value of training the mind.
Here are four simple ways to get started if this should appeal to your sense of rightness.
1. Cut out distractions to your attention. Splitting your focus between cell phone, computer screen, friend's voice, telephone, your partner's requests for your attention, kids needs and your work is a great way to reduce your IQ and suboptimize your ability to excel. If you are on the phone be completely and absolutely on the phone with full undivided attention, if you are making love keep your mind on the sensations and the full experience of lovemaking, if you are listening to your kids then give them the gift of your attention-fully engaged.
2. Train your self to spend 5 minutes per day on doing some form of attention- enhancing activity. There are practices in eastern disciplines like "Mindfullness" training, Yoga, martial arts that are amenable to the western student and enjoyable to practice. Or, give yourself the gift of completely listening to your favorite music- dissolve into that Chopin etude or Eric Clapton guitar rift.
3. Find a trainer. It is way more easy to train with someone who is already skilled at mental training than to try to do it yourself. One way of doing that is to buy a good tape, CD or DVD from Sounds True Catalog that appeals to you from a solid, experienced teacher. Or read a book on the subject of meditation or Yoga or Peak Performance or any one of the 1000 subjects readily available to you in this age.
4. Apply the skills that you acquire everywhere. I have been deeply impressed by the emphasis that mental training can have on personal relationships. For example, it is common for all of us to have conversations that are difficult to hear. Someone says something that we don't agree with or that hurts our feelings or that we just plain see differently.
If you learn to be patient and listen with all your focused awareness, you find that the conversations tend to go better and you often learn something you did not know.
I like your responses. Write to me at elad2@ix.netcom.com or go on my website www.noblepurposeconsulting.com
Monday, December 17, 2007
What do you do when dealing with ignoble people?
So big deal, you want to be noble. But the fact is that most of the world is functioning at a second grade level in terms of ethics and consciousness.
What is the implication for you?
I have found more than anytime in my life how true it is that you can find goodness and evil anywhere you look.
It is not the fact of the state of people's minds. It is what you do with their actions.
The Buddha said that all we own are our actions.
I suggest that the two things that we have under our influence is our motives and our actions.
So, it is not useful or skillful to look at what others do except to ask how would I respond that will make me feel whole, skilled and awake?
Several vignettes recently come to my mind. They all illustrate the fact that my part in the interaction was to have been imagining that they were rational or moral or conscious of their actions and the consequences.
None of that was true. Critize me for being naive. I have always had this problem believing people when they tell me something.
I guess I am one of those that PT Barnum spoke of when he said there was a sucker born every minute.
But I would rather be hopeful, caring and assuming the best of people rather than pessimistic and focusing on what is wrong with the human race.
I aspire to something better than the harm that people do to each other. This is part of my noble purpose- to stand for the view that we can all wake up and be our noble selves.
Elad
What is the implication for you?
I have found more than anytime in my life how true it is that you can find goodness and evil anywhere you look.
It is not the fact of the state of people's minds. It is what you do with their actions.
The Buddha said that all we own are our actions.
I suggest that the two things that we have under our influence is our motives and our actions.
So, it is not useful or skillful to look at what others do except to ask how would I respond that will make me feel whole, skilled and awake?
Several vignettes recently come to my mind. They all illustrate the fact that my part in the interaction was to have been imagining that they were rational or moral or conscious of their actions and the consequences.
None of that was true. Critize me for being naive. I have always had this problem believing people when they tell me something.
I guess I am one of those that PT Barnum spoke of when he said there was a sucker born every minute.
But I would rather be hopeful, caring and assuming the best of people rather than pessimistic and focusing on what is wrong with the human race.
I aspire to something better than the harm that people do to each other. This is part of my noble purpose- to stand for the view that we can all wake up and be our noble selves.
Elad
Thursday, November 29, 2007
12 Questions to assess if you have a Noble Purpose
Dear reader,
I was thinking last week that many people have noble aspirations but don't know it.
I constructed a questionairre that can give you an idea of where you stand.
If you answer 3 out of twelve yes, you are a noble aspirant:
1. My company is "green","sustainable" or socially conscious.
2. I know that being good is not enough; we have to be profitable/viable.
3. I am committed to a higher purpose that is at the heart of my my business.
4. Innovation is critical to my business or service.
5. I want my team to aspire to something of value to the world.
6. I put my time and money into a business that has a higher purpose.
7. It is critical to my company to collaborate well.
8. My conscious dictates that I work in a socially conscious business.
9. I believe strongly that a business can be good and profitable.
10. I want my gifts and talents to be in service of a higher purpose.
11. My investors expect us to make a profit; treat all stakeholders collaboratively and have a global consciousness.
12. I am committed to making my noble aspiration a reality.
I invite you to write or call me to continue this conversation.
I would love to help you execute your vision.
Elad
I was thinking last week that many people have noble aspirations but don't know it.
I constructed a questionairre that can give you an idea of where you stand.
If you answer 3 out of twelve yes, you are a noble aspirant:
1. My company is "green","sustainable" or socially conscious.
2. I know that being good is not enough; we have to be profitable/viable.
3. I am committed to a higher purpose that is at the heart of my my business.
4. Innovation is critical to my business or service.
5. I want my team to aspire to something of value to the world.
6. I put my time and money into a business that has a higher purpose.
7. It is critical to my company to collaborate well.
8. My conscious dictates that I work in a socially conscious business.
9. I believe strongly that a business can be good and profitable.
10. I want my gifts and talents to be in service of a higher purpose.
11. My investors expect us to make a profit; treat all stakeholders collaboratively and have a global consciousness.
12. I am committed to making my noble aspiration a reality.
I invite you to write or call me to continue this conversation.
I would love to help you execute your vision.
Elad
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Flow and Idealism
Counterpoint to my blog #6- I offer that anything I say I can change my mind if something new that is more accurate flows in. So, 20 minutes after posting #6 I am talking to my friend and she says- I think that perspiration and persistence are a very one-sided way of describing power- what about the power of intention, intuition, and the right thing showing up just because of your desire to create?
If I look at my direct experience over 40 plus years of work, I have dozens of moments when the right person, the right amount of money to pay the rent, the right next connection flowed to me due to what appears to be no sweat on my part.
Grace is a concept that I can say is real- there are many times when not because of my effort an opportunity presents itself just because of ? what? mystery, magic, life force... I really don't know why.
So, power is also not doing. It is very difficult for me as a Western European male from the US to get my head around the notion of Flow but it is apparent that it is as real as that which comes from effort.
Let me try to articulate how this works from my little pea brained perspective:
I feel that it starts with a strong positive emotion like love, compassion, a desire to serve and is followed by that longing to care and create growing in intensity through attention to it.
Then, people, events, situations show up that match the energy of your positive emotions and even when you feel negative and lose hope or energy for the idea you find a way back to it with strength.
Others join your intent with their good wishes or offers to help and the sense you have that this brain child of yours is beginning to pick up momentum. There is a feeling that energy is flowing towards the intent and you do not need to worry or make too much effort- it is coming of its own accord.
At some point I have experienced that the intent has a life of its own. I did not go out looking for allies when I started my first business but a highly accomplished adminstrative assistant who who could have made double what I could pay her voluntary took a 50% pay cut to be a part of the noble aspiration I had to transform business through education teaching the "Stress Theory" of Hans Selye. She and I would wait at the end of the month, for well over the first year asking each other- "so how is the rent and other payables going to get paid this month"- every time the right amount of money that we were waiting for would show up on time.
It got to be a joke between us about the incredibly mysterious way the receivables would come when it was needed.
Of course, I was owed the money and it had been my effort to make the money but the way it came on time each month showed how much was out of my control and required my relaxing my grip to let it arrive without my having a heart attack in addition to paying the bills.
If I look at my direct experience over 40 plus years of work, I have dozens of moments when the right person, the right amount of money to pay the rent, the right next connection flowed to me due to what appears to be no sweat on my part.
Grace is a concept that I can say is real- there are many times when not because of my effort an opportunity presents itself just because of ? what? mystery, magic, life force... I really don't know why.
So, power is also not doing. It is very difficult for me as a Western European male from the US to get my head around the notion of Flow but it is apparent that it is as real as that which comes from effort.
Let me try to articulate how this works from my little pea brained perspective:
I feel that it starts with a strong positive emotion like love, compassion, a desire to serve and is followed by that longing to care and create growing in intensity through attention to it.
Then, people, events, situations show up that match the energy of your positive emotions and even when you feel negative and lose hope or energy for the idea you find a way back to it with strength.
Others join your intent with their good wishes or offers to help and the sense you have that this brain child of yours is beginning to pick up momentum. There is a feeling that energy is flowing towards the intent and you do not need to worry or make too much effort- it is coming of its own accord.
At some point I have experienced that the intent has a life of its own. I did not go out looking for allies when I started my first business but a highly accomplished adminstrative assistant who who could have made double what I could pay her voluntary took a 50% pay cut to be a part of the noble aspiration I had to transform business through education teaching the "Stress Theory" of Hans Selye. She and I would wait at the end of the month, for well over the first year asking each other- "so how is the rent and other payables going to get paid this month"- every time the right amount of money that we were waiting for would show up on time.
It got to be a joke between us about the incredibly mysterious way the receivables would come when it was needed.
Of course, I was owed the money and it had been my effort to make the money but the way it came on time each month showed how much was out of my control and required my relaxing my grip to let it arrive without my having a heart attack in addition to paying the bills.
Power, persistence and perspiraton
Blog entry #6
Power has become a word that is associated for many with evil. The images that come to mind are those conjured through the misuse not the noble use.
I offer the following: power is the energy of change and can be a force for decency, authenticity and love as well as heartache and suffering.
How is power important to Noble Purpose?
To cause something to occur in the mundane universe- the place of tangible outcomes; power is the medium. We are all forces for good or not but many of us are not conscious of that as our intent.
I propose to you that you consider your sources of power and work with them.
Sources of power:
Persistence- more gets done because of dedicated effort to an intention than is publicized. When you ask the creators of companies or services how they did what they did, often the work is a matter of dogged persistent effort on behalf of a noble idea.
You have to learn how to stick to something through the hardships of generating momentum or it will die of your lack of attention.
Case in point- when I started Keep it Simple Seminars in 1978, I worked 80-100 hrs a week doing everything that was required to launch the business- including licking thousands of envelopes and stamps, going out on the rubber chicken circuit- meaning that I would eat rubbery chicken lunches with groups like the Lion's club or Rotary to generate new business. It did not matter what it was, I just did it whether I was good at it or I disliked it- that is not the point when you are an entrepreneur- you do what is necessary and exert discipline on your self to get the noble aspiration out there.
Perspiration- sweat equity is what we all learn about when we are starting a venture we truly believe in- you will sweat the small stuff even though people will tell you not to and also the big hairy audacious aspirations- there is not any way to launch your vision with the power you have accrued without the two P's persistence and perspiration.
Maybe it does not sound very lofty but here is what is true for me lofty plus willingness to go to any lengths for what I have believed in is my formula for bringing my vision into being.
Power has become a word that is associated for many with evil. The images that come to mind are those conjured through the misuse not the noble use.
I offer the following: power is the energy of change and can be a force for decency, authenticity and love as well as heartache and suffering.
How is power important to Noble Purpose?
To cause something to occur in the mundane universe- the place of tangible outcomes; power is the medium. We are all forces for good or not but many of us are not conscious of that as our intent.
I propose to you that you consider your sources of power and work with them.
Sources of power:
Persistence- more gets done because of dedicated effort to an intention than is publicized. When you ask the creators of companies or services how they did what they did, often the work is a matter of dogged persistent effort on behalf of a noble idea.
You have to learn how to stick to something through the hardships of generating momentum or it will die of your lack of attention.
Case in point- when I started Keep it Simple Seminars in 1978, I worked 80-100 hrs a week doing everything that was required to launch the business- including licking thousands of envelopes and stamps, going out on the rubber chicken circuit- meaning that I would eat rubbery chicken lunches with groups like the Lion's club or Rotary to generate new business. It did not matter what it was, I just did it whether I was good at it or I disliked it- that is not the point when you are an entrepreneur- you do what is necessary and exert discipline on your self to get the noble aspiration out there.
Perspiration- sweat equity is what we all learn about when we are starting a venture we truly believe in- you will sweat the small stuff even though people will tell you not to and also the big hairy audacious aspirations- there is not any way to launch your vision with the power you have accrued without the two P's persistence and perspiration.
Maybe it does not sound very lofty but here is what is true for me lofty plus willingness to go to any lengths for what I have believed in is my formula for bringing my vision into being.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Is it really true that money follows bliss?
Blog entry #4
“Do what you love and the money will follow” Marsha Sinetar
“Follow your bliss” Joseph Campbell
Half -truths are deceiving. A half- truth is an assertion or declaration that on the face of it sounds good and right. However, something is missing. What is missing is the way that the assertion requires a modifier to make it real.
In the two quotes above, what is missing is a plan that you can execute that aligns with the strategy and vision that is what you love or is your bliss.
It may be more accurate to say- follow your bliss while planning a plan and following the plan. Do what you love and develop business skills that ground your inspiration in perspiration.
A vision without a way to take the abstraction of the hope or intention into concrete reality is a dream unfulfilled. There are many stories of wonderful, life affirming ideas and visions that never see the light of day. This is likely due to the lack of skill and knowledge about how a hope becomes real.
Too many leaders with noble aspirations do not know the first thing about the four cornerstones of business acumen:
Taking your vision and turn it into a viable strategic market success.
Developing the tools and skills of collaboration that are required for manifestation.
Building a high functioning team of contributors that maximize the gifts and talents of everyone engaged.
Designing the structures and systems at the onset that support the vision becoming real.
To feel called to do something noble is a great experience, but it is not so great to see it flounder. It is imperative to have the people, processes and plans in place so that the idea can grow and evolve with a foundation underneath it.
Too many intentions without the practical tools and skills evaporate into thin air. In the upcoming blog entries, I will explore further the requisite tools and skills that are part of the cornerstones of any successful noble aspiration becoming real.
Visit my website: http://elad.bizland.com
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