Monthly Archives: August 2011

Why Am I Drawn to This?

Posted on by Michelle Mains

Over the last few months I’ve enjoyed reading the Worship blog, Worthily Magnify.  Recently Jamie Brown had an interesting list of questions for potential team members.  They were all solid suggestions, and then I got to the last one, “Why do you feel called to this particular ministry?”  I don’t know why, but I was kind of stunned.  It’s such a great question to ask, and not just when you’re in the midst of auditions.

Organizer and life coach, Hellen Buttigieg, had a great idea a couple of years ago about reviewing your time commitments in January to determine what should stay and what could go.  Her advice was something like, By this time in the school year, you know what activities your children are excited about, and which ones they dread.  You know the evening class which looked like a quick trip is really a 45 minute commute in rush hour traffic.  Very sound tips for recalibrating your schedule as a New Year begins.

However, I’m inclined to use her advice as September is kicking off.  Before I begin to pencil in people and places automatically, I think I may ask myself, “Why am I drawn to this?”  At present, I think I’m disposed to have a little more “white space” on my calendar, and hopefully in my heart and mind.  I’m reminded of some guidance in AA about “burning up energy foolishly…trying to arrange life to suit ourselves.”

Here’s the excerpt – good luck with your Fall planning.

In thinking about our day, we may face indecision.  We may not be able to determine which course to take.  Here we ask God for inspiration, an intuitive thought or a decision.  We relax and take it easy.  We don’t struggle.  We are often surprised how the right answers come after we’ve tried this for awhile.  As we go through the day we pause, when agitated or doubtful, and ask for the right thought or action.  We constantly remind ourselves we are no longer running the show, humbly saying to ourselves many times each day, “Thy will be done.”  We are then in much less danger of excitement, fear, anger, worry, self-pity or foolish decisions.  We become much more efficient.  We do not tire so easily, for we are not burning up energy foolishly as we did when we were trying to arrange life to suit ourselves.  It works – it really does.

Good Find Friday: Blood, Sweat and Gears

Posted on by Michelle Mains

A couple of weeks ago I had put “Blood, Sweat and Gears: Racing Clean to the Tour de France” on my DVR queue, and I finally got around to watching it last weekend.  I never get over the power of authentic stories.  This documentary is a year in the life of a new cycling team struggling to qualify for the Tour de France.  I hadn’t known much about cycling, but I found their stories personal, grueling and heart-breaking.  If you need someone to cheer for this Summer who isn’t an animated superhero, this picture is for you.  Enjoy!

Bringing Your Whole Self

Posted on by Michelle Mains

A couple of years ago, I co-mentored a small group of paralegals.  As part of the program, I asked an experienced business colleague to come in and discuss how she viewed the Legal team and her ideal support model. 

The conversation drifted naturally over the hour, and at one point our guest was casually describing changing from one job to another over her career.  She told several stories, then stopped suddenly and said, “I guess I’ve always found jobs that I liked to do.  Jobs where I could bring my whole self.  The only problem is that sometimes you get your feelings hurt.  But I’d rather be in that situation than doing work I couldn’t care less about.”

I was reminded of her comments when I read The 5 Principles of a Profound Workday by Leo Babuta on ZenHabits.  All of the suggestions are excellent, but if you’ve been struggling to use even the smallest spiritual practices between 9 to 5, you may want to start with #2, ”Slow and Mindful”.  As I mentioned in a prior post, I find simply staying in present time to be one of the most powerful tools you can use.

Here’s to profound work and bringing your whole self!

Good Find Friday: Composed

Posted on by Michelle Mains

I was so happy when Rosanne Cash announced recently that her book, Composed, was going into paperback.  As a lover of biographies, I enjoyed learning more about her when I read the hardcover earlier this year.  It’s everything you would expect from Rosanne: candid, thoughtful, and deeply personal.  You won’t need to be a fan to enjoy this book…but I am. :)

Photoshopping the Truth

Posted on by Michelle Mains

A friend of mine was introduced to golf by her husband during their courtship, and has become quite a fan over the last few years.  I’ve had a lot of fun listening to her tell stories about the various golfers.  I never knew they were such a colorful group.

I noticed the media coverage on Thursday and Friday as the PGA Championship began to take shape.  On Thursday, Tiger Woods had a pretty mediocre start.  By Friday, he was in a complete meltdown.  The most interesting thing to me was listening to his press conference and the coverage on The Golf Channel after I got home on Friday night.  The commentators were giving their opinions about different come-back strategies, but you never would have known that they were necessary listening to Tiger.

“I get some time off again.”

“…Now I’m healthy enough to work on my game.  It’s going to be good.”

“Sean (Foley, his coach) and I did not really have an opportunity to sit down and do a lot of work.  This will be our time.”

You’d think that he had just hit a bucket of balls at the driving range.  Instead, these were the facts: 22 bunkers.  11 shots off the tee.  4 balls in the water.

As I listened to Tiger, I was reminded of the many people in business I’ve known over the years who’ve also Photoshopped the truth.  In spite of the data, information is twisted, contorted, and reshaped.  At the very least, they comfort their anxiety by creating an acceptable story.  At its worst, the final version is mostly make-believe.

I can’t say I’m rooting for Tiger.  However, he’s still a relatively young man, and I’m hoping he’ll lose his fear of facing reality.  As a sports fan, I understand the psychology of staying positive and goal-focused, but his Friday comments hardly represent those principles.  Hey, Tiger – take some advice from another world famous multi-millionaire, Elvis Presley: “Truth is like the sun.  You can shut it out for a time, but it ain’t goin’ away.”

Good Find Friday: Beat the Roaming Fees

Posted on by Michelle Mains

The New York Times had a great article this week about beating the roaming fees while traveling abroad.  I’m not someone who feels tethered to my phone, but I have to admit I enjoy checking the headlines and connecting with friends throughout the day.  Here are some great ideas if you’re planning a getaway before the end of the year.  The next time I’m abroad, you may find me in a Wi-Fi bubble.  Enjoy!

 

 

Open Up to the Invisible World

Posted on by Michelle Mains

I was drawn to Carmen Harra’s new book simply by the title.  “Wholeliness: Embracing the Sacred Unity That Heals Our World” seemed to be a commentary about everything from the fractured state of our government to the ornery neighbor next door.  This topic has been attempted repeatedly, but often the results are a shallow, “all we need is love” message.  This book goes beyond that sentiment. “Wholeliness” is a wonderful primer in using Divine assistance to achieve greater happiness and deeper connection in your relationships.

There is a concept among some New Thought authors that one should never think of something negative, or acknowledge difficult circumstances.  Instead, Carmen encourages readers to accept that denying emotions, as well as failing to acknowledge any role you may have in creating situations, only elongates suffering.  Like Caroline Myss, she teaches that burying any side of yourself creates spiritual fracturing as well as emotional disharmony.

At the end of each chapter, Carmen anchors her themes with three tools: (1) Observe something about your experience; (2) Pray to the Divine for assistance; and (3) Act to manifest wholeliness.  With the release of The Secret, I’ve observed that many people perform different parts of these ideas; “Wholeliness” shows the importance of each component, and the power as they work in harmony.

I disagreed with her concept that all illnesses are either stress related or karmic.  In my experience, sometimes bad things happen to good people, even repeatedly.  This is a minor objection; overall, I found the book very readable, and I was happy to receive it from Hay House as part of their blogger program.

If you’re interested in creating greater spiritual connections with like-minded people across the globe, or simply getting along better with your co-workers, “Wholeliness” may be for you.  Also, if you are new to prayer, or want to reinvigorate your prayer life, be sure to check out Alan Cohen’s moving and eloquent book, “Handle With Prayer: Harnessing the Power to Make Your Dreams Come True.”

In the meantime, I’ll leave you with one of my favorite prayers for work from Michael Strassfeld, just in case you need some Divine inspiration during the dog days of Summer.

O God let me be careful with my speech and with my deeds conveying caring rather than hurt to all the lives I touch this day. Let me not get angry unnecessarily, nor judge others harshly. Let me not imagine slights. Let me not be anxious in dealing with those for whom I work. And if necessary to respond critically, let me do so in a clear and calm manner. Let me always try to remember that all of us are flawed and wounded creatures even as we are also all created equally in Your image. I hope for success in my striving to earn a living even as I hope that success is not unnecessarily at the expense of others. May the words of my mouth and my inner thoughts this day be acceptable unto You as reflecting that which is holy and best within me, your servant and partner in creation.

Welcome Back, Gabby

Posted on by Michelle Mains

Tonight the New York Times had a wonderful commentary about the appearance of Gabby Giffords at the vote for the debt ceiling bill.  Their headline was, “Giffords’ Return Marks Moment of Unity in Divided House.”

I have to admit that it was the only time over the last several weeks when I’ve had a tender feeling about Congress.  After working in a lot of companies, it’s been plain to me for awhile that the divisive, stubborn, name-calling behavior prevalent in Washington would never fly in private industry.  As the debt ceiling deadline loomed this weekend, I kept thinking cooler heads would prevail, but collaboration seemed to be the last thing on everyone’s mind.  Indeed, sixty years later, the words of Adlai Stevenson bear repeating: “Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.”

I’m hoping that Gabrielle Giffords’ attendance tonight may spark her colleagues to return to some civility and intelligence in our governing process.  There has been plenty of discussion in the blogosphere today about the road ahead, with no clear answers at hand.  After all, as Will Rogers once quipped, “Ancient Rome declined because it had a Senate.  Now what’s going to happen to us with both a House and a Senate?”