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 the Treasure Trove Within, part II [7:26m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

In using your natural resources (The Treasure Trove Within) to further yourself in life, it’s imperative to your success that you’re looking in the right treasure chest. Using someone else’s natural resources won’t work.  This is why I use the Enneagram as an initial assessment tool in my coaching programs.  Accurately assessing your type on the Enneagram (the lens through which we see the world around us, take in, and sort stimuli) is very powerful. The consequences of being mis-typed by yourself or anyone else are at the least time-wasters, and potentially self-defeating.
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 The Treasure Trove Within [6:53m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

A wildly misleading trend causing undue stress needs to be stopped. There are countless gurus standing up and telling us to “be like me, do as I say,” as they are “successful, have all the answers,” and so on. The truth is, that what may work for me, may not work for you. We’re not the same people. If everyone was like Dr. Phil, Anthony Robbins, or Oprah, then doing exactly what they say and modeling your way of being in the world after them would make sense. But even those three people are so different, who do you listen to?  (more…)

Security is basically a mental construct; in reality there’s no such thing.  The real world is filled with brain embolisms, cancer, drunk drivers, people changing their minds or lying, etc.  We invented the concept of “security” in our brains, which creates an alternate environment to reality because reality scares us.  tough s___ really, cuz we’re stuck with it. :->  We can take precautions to mitigate bodily harm (don’t walk across freeways) but after that,

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The Spiral: our most ancient and perfect symbol/model of Life itself.  The simplest and most profound within One structure - One form.  Progress/progression is marked by Include and Transcend the area preceding.   When we extrapolate, the Spiral also offers what is not Natural to Life: doubling back, second-guessing, tangents. 

When we can live an Integral Life: following this model of Life/Reality itself, we Include and Transcend as we Progress.  We don’t divert from the Path to go backward, stop moving, or go off on tangents.  We don’t create a digital construct of 0s and 1s where we separate ourselves from Nature (thus each other.)  We relax

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 The Owl and the Ostrich [6:42m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Ostrich and the Owl represent two very different approaches to life.  The ostrich is known for hiding his head when sensing trouble, much like a small child hiding his face behind his hands. The rationale being “if I can’t see you, you can’t see me.”

As we get older, we learn that doesn’t work, yet often continue to apply that philosophy to our jobs and lives.  We feel as though if we don’t look at something disturbing, it won’t get to us.  On the other hand, the owl has phenomenal sight, and rotates her head almost all the way around like a radar dish, to pick up every bit of information available.  Although she doesn’t have to act on everything she sees, no opportunity gets by her either. (more…)

 

 What's Stopping You [8:36m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Self-Limiting Story
Many of my previous chronicles have addressed “liberation,” or a sense of freedom as a desired outcome.  “Freedom is good, lack of freedom is bad” seems to be a pretty obvious axiom.  At the very least, having more options is a better position to be in.

Yet something inside us holds back.  (more…)

“The Way does not require cultivation - just don’t pollute it.  What is pollution? A fluctuating mind, fabricating artificialities and contrivances.  If you want to realize the Way directly, all you need is your natural Mind.  This is the mind without artificiality, without subjective judgments, without grasping or rejection.”  - abridged from Chan Master Mazu, 12th Century.

When you remember that what you are searching for is that (who) is conducting the search, you can stop and discover what is already present; connection to Source/Being and the Real Version of what you were chasing.  For example, if I chase (more…)

 

 Subtext: Friend or Foe? [8:19m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The Space Between
Implicit Confusion / Explicit Clarification explored the pitfalls of not fully and clearly expressing something; leaving nothing to interpret.  We looked at this from the speaker’s perspective, in terms of being explicit and not implying what needs to be stated clearly.  Implications are fraught with interpretation, and interpretation is fraught with our own worldviews and baggage. 

Looking at this issue from the perspective of the listener we may have far more power to keep the communication on track.  (more…)

 

 Back On Track, part II [10:00m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Adventures in the Third Dimension
In Getting Derailed Communication Back On Track, part I we introduced two different areas where our perspectives split off in different directions.  First there are the Translational differences, which are described by our “flat” model of people sitting in a circle.  We’re each seeing a different view based on where we’re sitting, which is a metaphor or model of our individual processing centers or lenses.

Remember, these processing centers - how we take in and organize information - shape our translation of the world around us.  Do I translate something as it affects who I am in the world?  Do I see it as affecting safety?  Do I translate it through how I think things should be?  Those perspectives are part of a “flat” model, because everyone is at the same general level of consciousness development.

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 Standard Podcast [08:43m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

So Many Rails, So Little Time 
A difference of opinion or argument can be healthy and productive.  When it’s more about less than conscious communication process, we get the endless tug-of-war that eats our time and energy.  Think about how much time you spent with an initial interaction that went badly, and then add the amount of time you spent thinking about it afterward, plus the follow up communication time, plus how much more time you now spend thinking about the follow up, then multiply that times how many occurrences in a day, and times everyone else spending their time and energy the same way, and you’ll see we’re talking about a vast amount of time and energy being wasted.  That’s a valuable resource we can reclaim.

There are many things we do to de-rail our communication, from assuming and projecting, to “Being Right,”  and maybe if we know more about the existing tracks, we’ll recognize the signs of going off of them before we crash.  The vast majority of the struggles we have in communication are about what I’ll call the Translation level.  (more…)