Cleansing and Renewal

Isn’t it wonderful how the rain brings a fresh inspiration that makes it seem like all is cleansed and renewed? In Tucson, we had a nice monsoon today. It was about 1/12th of our total annual 12 inches of rain. The desert smells bright, the creosote strikes the senses with it’s wonderful freshness, and the lightening adds drama to the possibility of a new beginning. The earth has its own way of renewing and refreshing itself.

What do we have? We have our own thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. In Japan, many believe that reorganizing a drawer is symbolic of reorganizing certain aspects of life. I like this analogy. As I clean house or straighten up or put things away that I didn’t know I had room for…I think about the possibility that I’m also straightening up unfinished business, putting things away that it’s time to let go of, and finding strength that I didn’t know I had. It’s a joy to discover inner and outer strength. The delight of life, and the gift it brings, is around us each day…when we are willing to see it.

Hugs--tc

Finding peace during hectic times...

Start of school, election primaries, and last-minute vacations—it’s a hectic time of year! Several friends have mentioned they temporarily “lost their center” while busily flitting from one thing to the next. It’s a joy to know that many pulled out the “Creating Love and Joy” book to read each day—and it has helped! There’s something magically inspiring about the verses and photos.

When we are truly present in our current state, we recognize when we are tired, impatient and short-tempered. Celebrate this recognition! Our awareness is already neutralizing the negative effects of these temporary states. We can then choose to take whatever steps help us the most to regain our perspective and stay focused on the gifts that each day brings.

Hugs--tc

What goes around, comes around ...

We reap what we sow (Creating Love and Joy, inside front cover).”

When we truly believe that “what goes around, comes around,” we begin to pay more attention to our own thoughts, actions, and feelings. We realize our thoughts and actions have a ripple effect. Like the water rings that form when a stone is tossed into a lake, our thoughts, actions, and feelings form concentric rings around us, creating all that we have, do, think, feel, and experience. In today’s world of distractions, noise, demands, and pressures, our challenge is to remain focused on this particular moment so that we can continuously create from a place of calm, wisdom, and intuition. Instead of rushing from one thing to the next, without really focusing on the moment, we slow down and pay attention to the task at hand. We begin to accomplish the same things in a different way.

Slowing down does not mean we get less done. Many times, we actually get more accomplished when we fully concentrate. When we are “multi-tasking,” our thoughts are flitting back and forth very rapidly from one thing to the next. The conscious mind does not focus on two things at once: it only focuses on one, and then switches to the next. The amount of attention we give to each task is actually less than what it might be if we concentrate on one thing at a time. (Stack, LM. 2003. “Multi-taking is counterproductive: shifting mental gears downshifts productivity.” Celebrations Presentations: TheProductivityPro.com.)

For this reason, we are better off starting and completing one task at a time. We may not finish the entire project, but we can complete more on that project when we concentrate our efforts. This also gives us a change to ensure that the ripple effect caused by our thoughts, feelings, and actions remains calm and peaceful. When we put harmonious energy out into the universe, harmonious energy comes back to us.

Hugs--tc

Matadors or Bulls?

“I am light protecting me from all harm (Creating Love and Joy, p. 78).”

Before getting too far into the analogy between bullfighting and life working in US organizations, it’s important to review and clarify what we mean by “bullfights” in this context. First and foremost, let’s make it clear we are referring to the Portuguese style of bullfighting, where the bull is not killed. Our goal is to PREVENT or remove all physical or emotional violence from the workplace. We do this by are exploring ways to remove negative issues/policies/processes/approaches from the work environement. Second, note that we use terms fluidly--bull refers to a person and the crap that can be produced--and it is possible to switch roles. Managers can be both matadors and bulls. Employees can be matadors and bulls, too. Both require focus, courage, self-evaluation, and dedication to fulfill a positive role in eliminating negative issues/policies/processes/approaches, or “bull,” from the workplace. Third, the bullring is analogous to the hostile, hectic, unhealthy work environment found in many organizations. The spectators are our coworkers and investors. They watch our every move and make decisions about what course of action they will take based on how they interpret what they see. In all cases, the goal of bullfighting is to create healthy work environments that support constructive relationships.

Stay tuned for more…about “Bullfighting at Work.” Hugs--tc

Freedom from Negative Emotions

“I am light protecting me from all harm (Creating Love and Joy, p. 78).”

Anger depletes energy.
Guilt is the most useless energy in the universe.
Fear creates the illusion that we have no options for positive growth.
Judgment of others soon becomes hatred and efforts to control.

Stay focused only on your own life.
Trust others to be masters of their own lives.
You cannot control others, you can only control yourself.
Allow yourself the freedom to focus only on yourself and your own journey.

Hugs--tc

Bullfighting at work: Addressing the Sucker Punch

• 
  Many of us often feel the equivalent of a sucker punch when we interact with our coworkers. Using the sucker punch analogy, let’s go through the process of employing the affirmations in Creating Love and Joy to enhance our workplace relationships.
  
  Let’s look at a scenario where one person unintentionally says something or does something that hurts another person: person A SUCKER PUNCHES person B.
  
  Observers (other people) see the interaction, and “interpret” the body language of persons A & B. Using each of their own backgrounds and experiences as a framework for interpreting the body language, the observers each draw different conclusions about what just happened between persons A & B. Then, the observers act and react, consciously and subconsciously manipulating the situation according to their own thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. Perhaps the observers have only good intentions when they react. However, their interpretation and subsequent action may, or may not, be appropriate. It is possible the observers misinterpret the situation or don’t understand the whole picture. Or, their backgrounds and experiences lead them to view the situation that may not represent the views of persons A and B. This is how the “grapevine” or “gossip mill” distributes information in the workplace.
  
  Let’s refocus back to persons A and B. Remember the fundamental premise in Creating Love and Joy: We reap what we sow. The key to sowing the seeds of constructive relationships and harmony is to focus on the REACTEE (Person B), not on the puncher (person A). It is person B who has the free will choice to decide how they will react -- to person A, and to the observers.
  
  When a person gets sucker-punched, two things might happen, based on a free will choice:
  1. Person B can react by punching back, adding negativity, or generating other forms of discord; OR
  2. Person B can react with an “OOPS”: Although there may be immediate pain in being sucker-punched, we always have the free will choice to step back before reacting by taking a few deep breaths, counting to 10, or otherwise detaching from the emotions and physical sensations of the sucker punch.

Once fully detached, Person B can now make an informed, free will choice about the type of seed they would like to sow in the universe. They can quickly evaluate what the “ripple effect” of a return punch might bring back to them. Person B, who has already been sucker-punched, can control only one aspect of this situation at this moment: their own reaction. They have several choices: punch back, walk away, or communicate they just felt sucker-punched. Punching back sows more discord. When a person punches back, they plant a seed of discord. That seed has a RIPPLE EFFECT on the WHOLE WORLD! Other choices can open the door to constructive relationships.
KEY POINT: While we may have an impulsive, knee-jerk reaction to being sucker-punched (based on our background and experiences), we still have a FREE WILL CHOICE about how we will react.
KEY POINT: It is the person feeling the negative consequences (person B) that has the choice to either amplify a negative ripple effect or minimize it. The potential for an ugly ripple effect can be minimized by a free will choice to NOT punch back. By communicating that s/he just felt sucker-punched, Person B can let Person A know that something is not right, without sowing the seed of discord. A simple “Oops” or “UUfff!” can communicate that the equivalent of a sucker punch just occurred. Or, communicating a “friendly reminder” that something is not right with the situation, is another way to react without sowing the seed of discord.
Remember: “I am light protecting me from all harm (Creating Love and Joy, p. 78).”