Between Seeing

Alice Peacock-Into The Light

Alice is my favorite female singer. I love this song. She will have a new album out in June called "Who I Am" . If you don't have it, her album titled "Alice Peacock is great.

Here is a link to her website

i'm not asking for perfection
i only ask that you try
'cause you keep looking for answers outside yourself
when you've had them the whole time
it's time to see yourself as holy
time to see yourself complete
it's time to set aside the anger
and the spirit of defeat

come into the light
yeah, be the one you're born to be
into the light
wake up from your lonely sleep
the shadows can conceal what the heart longs to heal
come into the light

What Is Enough?

I wrote this a couple of years ago when my wife and I were on a Pilgramage in southern France
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What is Enough?

If I gave unconditional love to my wife and family.
Would that be enough?
If I were the owner of a value driven company,
And each employee lived the values at work and home.
Would that be enough?
If I co-created a training program on entrepreneurship,
That was transformational for hundreds of people.
Would that be enough?
{Pace Quickens} Or what if…….
I were the leader of a country,
Where no one was in poverty.
Would that be enough?
{Bellowing} THEN how about if………..
I could bring peace to the world,
And my name was mentioned along side Jesus.
Would that be enough?
{With Reverence}
But if I died right now on this hillside,
With God in my heart and a smile on my face.
He and I would know.
I am ----- enough.

Dreaming Ceremony

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In January, I had the opportunity to attend a dreaming ceremony with my friends Pele and FireHawk. On the final day, I wrote this poem to honor our time together.

The spirits slowly rise from the valley floor
Taking the form of a wisp of cloud
Disappearing from our site
Entering our souls
For a new day

The trees the leaves the earth
Welcome the morning sun's rays
And release the moisture
From the past day's rains
We take in the sun
And release our fears
To a power
Greater than
Ourselves

Part of the Plan

Since 1974 when this song came out, it has always been one of my favorites. I found the CD the other day and listening to it, I finally rememebred why. You can listen to it here. I'm curious whether the words resonate with you. Looking back, I see they are very appropriate for me.

I have these moments
All steady and strong
I'm feeling so holy and humble
The next thing I know
I'm all worried and weak
And I feel myself
Starting to crumble.
The meanings get lost
And the teachings get tossed
And you don't know what you're
Going to do next.
You wait for the sun
But it never quite comes
Some kind of message comes
Through to you.

A Perfect Place to Perch

The green leaves with the yellow tint 
Gently quake with the winds that accompany the sun's rebirth
Finches flutter from branch to branch
Looking for the perfect place to perch

What Do You Want From Me?

The moon nestles behind a cottage
Preparing for another day of rest
An outboard motor putters along
Breaking the silence of an eerily calm lake

A fisherman stops a quarter mile from shore
And begins checking his nets for the day's catch
As the full moon recedes the sun's light struggles through the clouds
To welcome a new day

Daniel Pink - A Whole New Mind and Mind Mapping

In a recent post I discussed the wonderful new  book "A Whole New Mind" by Daniel Pink. My last  post was on Mind Mapping. It has occurred to me that  Whole New Mind really points to how important  Mind Mapping is to being able to bring everything  you have to whatever you are doing. In a Whole  New Mind Pink states there are 6 new skills you will need to be successful in the Conceptual Age.  They are design, story, symphony, empathy, play  and meaning. Using all of these skills you more fully activate your right brain.

There is evidence of  everyone of these skills in doing mind maps. And that is of no surprise given that what mind maps  do is activate the whole mind. I now do all of my  thinking, planning, brainstorming and planning using mind maps. I used to do some things with lists and others using mind maps. What I saw time  and time again is that when I used a mind map I  got a much more complete picture of whatever I  was working on. Iit has  felt like cheating using a mind map. If you want to maximize your chances for success in this new conceptual age, use your full brain and stat mind mapping.

Who Needs a Better Way to Work

According to a new study by Kronos it appears the majority of Americans are looking for a better way to work. In their Labor Day survey an amazing 77% said they are either actively or passively looking for a new job. 39% have looked for a new job while at work. In addition 58% of employed Americans say it is more difficult to balance work/life responsibilities today because their workload and work hours have increased.

This makes no sense. In an age of abundance most of us work at jobs that are not our calling and that make work life balance difficult or not impossible. This is not sustainable for individuals or for our society. And it doesn't have to be this way. We have a choice. We can choose to do work that is our calling. It may pay less but are we willing to forfeit a few dollars to find happiness?

It starts by asking questions like the following;
What work would I truly enjoy?,
What am I most excited about in my life?
What would my ideal work life look like?

It starts with a dream; what would it be like to be one of the 23% who love the work they are doing?

Mind Maps

    Sometimes there is something you want to do and other things keep getting in the way. Writing about Mind Mapping is one of those things. I have been doing mind maps for 25 years and they have been a huge help to me in my career and life. I often tell people that doing mind maps is like cheating. Its like cheating because for any particular topic doing a mind map will access all parts of your brain and get out all of the pertinent information on any subject. I use them weekly for my to do list for the week. I have used them with my partner as a way for us to design a course. I use them as a help in composing letters, developing project time lines and now on line with others for group brainstorms. There is great software that helps you create mind maps. It is called Mind Manager and it is put out by Mind Jet. One of the beautiful things about this software is you can get a free 30 day trial and there are the best tutorials I've ever seen, DUH, they are all mind maps. Here are some mind map examples.

   

And Time Stood Still

The sun burst through my window
And tugged me out of bed
The waves lapped gently on the shore
And invited me to join them

I found an Adirondack chair
And with coffee in hand settled in
And waited .........
And breathed deep cleansing breaths

And tears welled up in my eyes
Tears of joy
Tears of oneness
Tears of love and knowing that God is with me

And time stood still

The sun warmed my body
The waves became a gentle melody
Out of the silence I became aware
Of all that I have to be grateful for