Life Lessons From a Potter’s Wheel

August 8, 2015 By

Balance and harmony are important in all areas of our life. When we talk about balance we tend to think in terms of balancing across each segment of our life but in truth, it matters within each of them as well. We need a balanced approach to health as an example and within our financial profile. Our personal network should be diversified and expose us to perspectives with range and depth. But balance only truly happens when we also have each area of our life in harmony with the rest.

The same is true for learning. We need to have core skill building for our professional endeavors and soft skill development overall. We also need to integrate things into the mix that are perhaps outside our standard fare and develop creative interests as well as skill. This is an area where quite frankly I have not always had the right mix. My professional development always took precedence.

I made a conscience decision to change that and begin incorporating some creativity into my learning mix and enrolled in pottery classes. Why pottery? Most likely because I love that art form and it seemed like something that would completely occupy my attention. That was after all part of the point. I wanted (and needed) a complete departure from business as usual. As a writer, I also felt that it would introduce me into a world of artists where I could also absorb some of that creative energy. And quite frankly, I thought it might be fun to play in some mud! And it has been.

I am about three months into this latest adventure and I am now without question a lifelong enthusiast. The parallels to life are there every time I sit down at the wheel or work with the clay at the table. And the miracle of what happens with glazes and the heat of the kiln are incredible.

My very first piece was a small dish that had a small bird on it since that’s my favorite collectible. It became a Mother’s Day gift for my Mom. Now a grandmother myself, it had been a long time since my gift to her was something made by my own hand. It felt so good to do that. And the gift has a richer meaning for her as well.

What lessons have I learned? Here are my top five:

  1. When we are willing to become a beginner at something, we renew our true love of learning
  2. Even the simplest of materials can and do have the potential for creating beauty
  3. To make things happen we have to be willing to take some risks and get our hands dirty
  4. Pressure and heat create strength and transformation
  5. We all sign our work in one way or another

If you were asked to choose something new to learn, what would you choose? Consider giving yourself, or someone you love that gift. It truly is priceless.

Live (learn) today like you want tomorrow to be. Live (learn) well.

Filed Under: Inspiration & Creativity, Learning & Growth, Personal thoughts & insights, Possibilities & Perspective, Winds of Change Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The gift of a day…

January 5, 2015 By

AbracadabraThis post originally published here on my blog on May 11, 2013. Since then I have read the book mentioned a second time and it continues to speak to me with each reading. There are a few books in my library where that is true.

I read Paulo Coelho’s The Alchemist at the end of every December as my last book of the year. It also continues to speak to me. I’ve been giving thought lately to the power of books in my life. As Charlie “Tremendous” Jones taught us: The progress we make is largely going to be the result of the people we meet and the books we read.

Because of technology platforms, we also can take in information, sights and sounds that have the capacity to move us, to inspire us on our journey. That’s also something this post highlights through the video that is shared. You may have already seen it but it’s another one of those pieces where we can gain something from each experience of it.

And so I share it all with you again. Because today is not just another day. It is the one day that is given to you today.

Live well.

Live today like you want tomorrow to be.

Typically, I know within the first few pages of a book when I begin reading if it’s going to move me to an experience that transforms.

It certainly doesn’t happen with every book, even some that I immensely enjoy.  But there is something, sometimes that goes directly to the soul.

I started a new book this morning that may become one of those books.  If the first chapter is any indication, it will be.  It is Greater by Steven Furtick.  It’s about spirituality and purpose which is something of high priority for me but it’s also quite contemporary in terms of context which is very refreshing.

One line from the first few pages leapt out and really did stop my eyes in their tracks.  He said that “The thing is, most believers aren’t in imminent danger of ruining their lives. They’re facing a danger that’s far greater: wasting them.”  The fundamental truth of that should inspire all of us to guard against it.

As I meet people when I speak or in my interactions as a life coach, it has become more and more clear that we have this desire to focus on the long term, the big picture.  And that is important.  There is no doubt that we have to have a vision.  But we must also remember that the vision has to be refined and experienced every day.  Because that’s where lives change.  Not what we want to accomplish a year from now, what we’re doing today.  Today is the gift.  Not next year, not even tomorrow, today.  As we look at calendars, to-do lists and schedules it is what we must be mindful of every moment.  We can have grand plans for the coming year and yet waste today.  So that is where we begin.  Today.  I believe that if we want to live our best lives, we must live our best days.

Recently, I came across a video I had seen before but this time it lingered with me.  And when I read Steven Furtick’s words this morning it came rushing back and I had to find it and watch it again.  It’s a wonderful inspirational piece about gratitude and the gift of time and place.

Here are the opening words:

“You think this is just another day in your life.

It’s not just another day.

It’s the one day that is given to you today.

It’s given to you. It’s a gift.

It’s the only gift that you have right now.

And the only appropriate response is gratefulness.”

 

 

Filed Under: Inspiration & Creativity, Personal thoughts & insights, Possibilities & Perspective, Winds of Change Tagged With: , , , , ,

The miracle of perspective: The beauty of change in progress

December 28, 2014 By

If we go back to the beginning of this year and play the movie we created with our lives, there will be moments that stand out. And there will be moments our memory may miss. Those moments are still there, they just weren’t captured as vividly. But each in their own way contributed to where we are now. Sometimes the best way to fully understand the depth and beauty of our growth is to think of our life using time lapse photography as a guide.

The video shared below can help. Experience the beauty of change with this incredible time lapse photography project from Czech Republic-based photographer Katka Pruskova.

Coaching insight: Imagine that this reflects our journey of personal growth.  We open up to our world by degrees but there is beauty at every mark in the journey. Whatever our experiences have been this past year, they have contributed to our life today. Each day we lived, we were moving forward in the sequence of growth.

Now imagine that you have the ability to influence and create that change. Because you do. While these images are insightful, the most significant difference is that the flower had no choice; it could and did only react to pre-destined DNA and its environment. We on the other hand have a choice. Every day. Every moment.

What will you choose?

Live well.

Live today like you want tomorrow to be.

 

Filed Under: Inspiration & Creativity, Learning & Growth, Possibilities & Perspective, Winds of Change Tagged With: , , ,

What will you do today? A jelly bean life…

October 13, 2014 By

Jelly BeansMuch of my professional life has been spent working with some kind of data analysis.  Even the most abstract scenarios will have some kind of profile that will allow you to create a model of that information. Those numbers tell a story.

The same is true of our lives.  When I first saw the video being shared today I was intrigued.  Then I watched it again and I realized that in life, as in business, sometimes it is not so much what we know as much as it is when we know it.

The timeliness of information is crucial for one reason only.  It impacts our decisions.  When we have information at the right time to use for making smarter decisions everyone benefits.

And that is the value of this video.  The days of our life illustrated by jelly beans.  Sounds pretty silly.  But the story is anything but.  When you see the way time is swept off the screen and think about it’s true value, you become far more protective of where it goes and how it is spent.  Or at least that was my response to this. You can make better decisions.  About your life.  About your day.

Because having the information is only valuable if we apply it.  In business and in life.

Watch the video.  Then you will see the point of the question.  What will you do today?

Live today like you want tomorrow to be.

 

Filed Under: Inspiration & Creativity, Possibilities & Perspective, Success & Significance, Winds of Change Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Encore: Lessons from the repair of an old photograph

July 23, 2014 By

 

In January of 2014 this encore post was published for the first time. The video re-surfaced this week and once again, the lessons spoke to me. Life lessons are all around us. We only have to look and be willing to see. I’m grateful for that gift. I hope that the insights are meaningful for you. #12 remains my favorite. Enjoy.

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Old photosI remember as a girl spending time working picture puzzles.  Find the hidden pieces. What is wrong with this picture? Find the differences in these pictures. And so on.  My analyst genes were already showing and these were some of my favorite games to play.  I loved searching to find and studying to analyze.  Even as a young girl.

That early interest stayed with me and is now part of my core strengths. Working with business data for many years and being able to see the story it told and then use that information to once again “find the hidden pieces”, determine “what’s wrong with this picture” and even see differences and find best practices and other fundamentals remained some of my favorite games to play.

Working as an author, this has become even more present for me in the way that I see things and assimilate them. A picture, a sound, or the arrangement of them can and does become a writing prompt because of the thoughts that they inspire. It isn’t so much a “moral of the story” as it is the “meaning of the moment” for me, although often there is a moral in there. I’m sure you have experienced the same thing yourself. Have you ever gone to the theatre with friends and watched a movie that you thought would be just entertainment and come away changed? Or read a book that moved you to another dimension you didn’t even know you had in you? Those experiences are very much in the same vein as those games because we are looking and experiencing beyond the surface activity. We are allowing ourselves to experience something deeper.

Today’s offering includes a video that is a time lapse recording of a master at work. The subject is the repairing and colorization of an old photograph. As I watched it the first time, I was completely captivated with the science and the art of what was unfolding.  As I watched it a second time, the sub-text began writing itself for me as lessons we could learn from the repair and colorization of a damaged photo. And I knew that my muse was with me.

These observations on my part will make much greater sense to you if you watch the video first and then re-watch it after reading the list.  Then after watching and reading my list, look for what your lessons might be. What would you add to the list?

I hope that this inspires you to recognize that so often what we need to see is in fact hidden within the picture.  That sometimes things just need to get put into their proper place (perspective) and often, the most subtle differences make the biggest impact.  Enjoy!

  1. Clear the way for the subject to shine (clean up the context first)
  2. Frame the focus (get the boundaries right)
  3. To check yourself, you’ll have to zoom in and zoom out (get the perspective right)
  4. Be patient (mastery takes time)
  5. Repair before you enhance (the color happens last)
  6. There is always a part of the process that’s harder (don’t give up)
  7. Some adjustments may be required (the first approach may not work, another one will)
  8. Once you’ve done it once, it’s easier (re-use the work and the lessons)
  9. Shadows create depth (why do we always forget this one?)
  10. Sometimes what appears to be an imperfection is just a stroke away from perfection (time can take its toll but it cannot erase the beauty)
  11. Mastery is what makes it look easier than it is (talent may begin it, but skill finishes it)
  12. Leave what you touch better than you found it (don’t settle for just fixing it, make It better)

Filed Under: Inspiration & Creativity, Possibilities & Perspective, Winds of Change Tagged With: , , ,

Everyone starts somewhere…

July 8, 2014 By

Everyone has a method that works best for them to get things done. For some, it is critical to have a plan detailing each step they will take. This keeps them on course and on task. For others, a basic outline serves as a guide without the detail. This allows them to stay on course but have some ability to explore with the added benefit of guide posts along the way. And then there are those free-spirited folks that just like to wing their way through. But as C. S. Lewis so perfectly stated, “With the possible exception of the equator, everything begins somewhere.“

As a writer, I find that I tend to move within all three of these approaches depending on what I’m writing and how developed my idea is at the onset. A bit like life. What is clear is that, as C. S. Lewis reminded us, everything starts somewhere. No matter what we’re doing. We have at least an idea of where we’re headed or why we’re embarking on the journey. That has always been the most influential element of value for me in any plan, regardless of the level of detail. There has to be an expected outcome for me to know how to begin.

When we begin with the end in mind, we can be confident that we won’t leave anything out that is essential to the desired outcome. Think about building a house. You know you’re going to have different rooms, fulfilling different functions. Because of their varying functions, there is a need to map out where the plumbing will be, where electrical will be routed, where windows and doors will be necessary, and so on.

We, too, begin with the end in mind by having a plan, just as the builder uses the architect’s blueprint. That blueprint can be just an outline of the building’s footprint or elaborately drawn down to where the furniture will be placed.

In our lives, we serve as both architects and builders. The idea of how much to plan and how much room to leave for creativity remains a  matter of preference for style and method. A line from Lewis Carroll’s classic tale “Alice in Wonderland” often comes to mind when thinking about balancing the two best. There is a beginning and an end. What is between is the journey. Here it is in his words:

“The White Rabbit put on his spectacles. ‘Where shall I begin, please, your Majesty?’ he asked. ‘Begin at the beginning,’ the King said gravely, ‘and go on till you come to the end: then stop.”

That sounds like great advice. Where will you begin? Find your finish line, and you’ll know!

Filed Under: Inspiration & Creativity, Possibilities & Perspective, Winds of Change Tagged With: , , , , , ,
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