Lessons Learned: Filter and Allow

More Lessons From Trees

There are more lessons to be learned by bringing our awareness to nature and in particular to trees and observing how they react to the wind.

Think about it for a moment. When trees are buffeted by the wind, they respond to the movement of the wind by moving in harmony with it. They filter and allow the wind to blow through their branches and leaves. Their movements range from a slow and graceful swaying to that of an ecstatic dance.

When The Winds of Change Blow Into Our Life and Work

When we are buffeted by the winds of change in our own life and work, we tend to do the exact opposite. Our default, automatic pilot reaction is one of resistance. We brace ourselves trying hard to resist the forces of change that are blowing through our life and our work. We try to turn away from the wind, shield ourselves from it or even try to ignore it altogether, but still the winds of change buffet us.

We tend to respond in the same manner for both the little changes (gentle breezes) and the big changes (strong winds.) Our ingrained way of responding to the winds of change can make us weary, rigid and brittle. This resistance process can zap away at our strength, energy and growth and leave us feeling ungrounded. When the winds of change blow into our lives, we do not tend to bring our conscious awareness to the winds nor do we follow the examples of the trees by filtering and allowing the wind to blow in and through.

But we can indeed learn from the trees. The next time you hear the wind blowing outside, take a moment to pause and look out the window and focus on a tree. Observe how it moves in response to the wind. Ask yourself:

• What lessons does the tree have to teach me about how I engage with the winds of change?
• Do I filter and allow the winds of change to blow through me or do I resist and grow rigid trying to fight the winds of change?
• What could I do that would allow me to more consciously dance with and engage with the winds of change?

And the next time the winds of change begin to blow through your life or your work or both…take a deep breath and then take a moment to visualize a vibrant and strong tree dancing with the wind. Look at how it filters and allows the wind to blow through its branches and leaves. Repeat the following mantra as often as needed throughout the day: 

“Filter and Allow”

Overtime, you’ll begin to feel a shift in how you dance with and respond to the winds of change. Filtering and allowing is a great practice for conscious living and conscious entrepreneuring. Give it a try!

Thanks to extremely gifted, Seattle-based healer, Elisha Weinberg at Ayaffa for inspiring today’s blog post!

Growth

Growth! I love this word. It is full of so much possibility and potential.

We are souls who are having a human experience so that we can grow and evolve. Everything in our lives and careers is an opportunity for personal and professional growth. However, the choice is ours to make in terms of how we approach and react to change. With every change experience there are two paths. One path stunts our growth. The other path fosters our growth. 

“Life is change. Growth is optional. Choose wisely.”—Karen Kaiser Clark

Growth seems to come to us in a few different ways. We can experience an unexpected change or an event in our livesor worthat in turn opens our eyes, our minds and our hearts. We have a choice in terms of how we react to that change experience. We can either choose to stay stuck and see ourselves as victims. Or we can consciously choose to grow as a result of the experience.

“Change is inevitable, growth is intentional.”—Glenda Cloud

Another way that change presents us with an opportunity for growth is when we consciously choose to proactively make a change in our life, career or business. We make this leap into the unknown without knowing how it will turn out. We can adopt a life-giving, expansive perspective by choosing to grow from the experience, no matter how it evolves or turns out. 

“Growth means change and change involves risk, stepping from the known to the unknown.”—George Shinn

When we consciously choose to transform our lives, our careers or our businesses, the ensuing experiences will offer us the gift of growth. Along with the growth, we can find freedom from the limiting box of conformity in which we’ve held ourselves caged for so many years. 

“Conformity is the jailer of freedom, and the enemy of growth.”—John F. Kennedy

So which path do you want to choose? Growth or Conformity?

Insight-Seeking Questions

• What areas of your life and work are calling for you to break free from conformity?
• What areas of your life and work are hindering your personal growth and development?
• What life and work change experiences have you grown from?
• In what ways, would you experience growth if you were to make a leap into the unknown and transform your life, work or business?

Successwork

Spend sometime reflecting on these questions. Consider the way you approach and react to change in your life and work. Do you choose the path of growth or do you choose the path of conformity? Do you choose the path of the conscious enterepreneur?

Inspiring Reads

“The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life To The Next Level” by Gay Hendricks

“The Art of Possibility: Transforming Professional and Personal Life” by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander

Change

Change. As I was preparing to write this blog post, I happened to glance outside my office window and right before my eyes the perfect metaphor for change appeared. I watched as a handyman carefully leaned a ladder against the side of the house and then went back inside to grab some additional equipment. He didn’t realize that he had placed the ladder against the southwestern wall of the house and a moment later a gust of wind came howling around the corner and sent the ladder crashing to the ground. Witnessing this scene reminded me of a great quote from Joseph Campbell.

“Sometimes we get to the top of our ladder only to find it’s against the wrong wall.” — Joseph Campbell 

When We Realize Our Ladder Is Up Against The Wrong Wall

Midlife is typically the time in life when we arrive at the top of our ladder, only to realize it has been placed against the wrong wall for years or perhaps decades. This moment of awareness, is what can propel us forward on a new journey of change. The ladder can be symbolic of the different aspects of our life including: our career, a relationship or marriage, our own identity and sense of self, or the community in which we live. 

My ladder awareness moment occurred in the summer of 2000. I was at the top of my ladder in the tech industry, overseeing the global product marketing for some of the computer industry’s most successful software programs. I had been systematically climbing my ladder in this industry for 17 years. That summer, back surgery forced me to take a career time out and gave me the opportunity to reflect on my journey. And that’s when my aha hit. I realized that despite my career successes, I didn’t feel fulfilled. My career was not aligned with my passions nor was it providing me with a sense of meaning or purpose. I was at the top of my ladder but it was placed against the wrong wall. So I made a conscious choice to come down off that ladder and head in a new, more authentic direction. It was time for a new ladder and a new wall. It was time for change. It was time to become a conscious entrepreneur.

When we remain on the wrong ladder and/or against the wrong wall for too long, we can become frustrated and feel as if our life is not moving in a positive and meaningful direction. We can feel as if we are stuck in a repeating pattern which over time only serves to drain our energy and zap our spirit. When we cling to the wrong ladder and wall for too long, we diminish our light and keep it from shining brightly. Our world becomes smaller and smaller. We tend to remain in this holding pattern because we are afraid to make the changes, afraid of letting our light shine or afraid of what the changes could mean for those around us. 

So what are we to do when we realize that the ladder we have been climbing for many years is up against the wrong wall? Give ourselves permission to search out and identify the a new ladder and/or wall that are in right-alignment with who we are at our core and what we want out of life. We want to make changes that will give us energy and allow our light to shine brightly. We want to make these changes a conscious journey and not one in which we simply go through the motions on auto-pilot. And we want to search out opportunities to learn and grow from our ladder moving experience. 

When the Wind Blows Our Ladder Down

The movement of our ladder from the wall, may not always begin with a moment of awareness. Just as the wind unexpectedly blew down the handyman’s ladder, sometimes external forces move our ladder for us. There are many things that can move our ladder from the wall its been on including: a layoff, the loss of a major client, the loss of a trusted business partner or strategic ally, an illness or injury, the death of a loved one, an aging parent, an empty nest, or a spouse or partner who decides their ladder has been leaning against the wrong wall. These unexpected winds of change, beckon us to modify our ladder or our approach to the ladder, reposition our ladder against a different wall or to create an entirely new ladder and wall.  

We have a choice in how we respond to the unexpected winds of change that knock down our ladder. We can fear the changes and try mightily to resist them by clinging to our fallen ladder and complaining to the world about how we were victim of the wind. Or we can find ways to embrace the changes and the opportunities they may hold for us and then work to make a new, more fulfilling ladder.  

Bottom line, the sooner we adapt to change and let go of the past and what we thought was the “status quo,” the sooner we’ll become more comfortable with the changes that are happening in our lives and in our careers. We are better served when we choose to adopt the viewpoint that unexpected changes and ladder movements can actually provide us with new opportunities, new beginnings, learnings, blessings, unexpected gifts and growth experiences. 

Insight-Seeking Questions

• Have you ever gotten to the top of your ladder only to find you had it against the wrong wall? 
• What was the experience like?
• What made you realize that the ladder was up against the wrong wall?
• Where did you reposition your ladder?
• Where is your ladder today—is it positioned against the wrong wall or has it unexpectedly been blown down? 
• Does your ladder need to move or be modified?
• If this ladder-moving needs to happen now or in the near future, where might you want to reposition your ladder?
• What is holding you back?
• How can moving your ladder, move your life and/or work forward?
• What are some small steps you might make to start the process of moving the ladder?
• How might you begin to view this ladder moving experience as a powerful learning experience?
• What gifts might it bring?
• What new opportunities might emerge?
• What new doors might open?

Successwork

If you have a sense your ladder might be up against the wrong wall or if your ladder has recently been blown down by the winds of change, consider spending some time mining this experience for insights and conscious actions you want to take. The insight-seeking questions above can provide a great starting place for an exploration of this nature. 

Affirmations and Intentions

Consider adopting one of these affirmations or intentions or making your own. Write out your chosen affirmation or intention and put it in places where you will it throughout the day. Whenever you see it, repeat the words to yourself. Here are some suggested statements:

• I am in the process of making positive changes in all areas of my life. 
• I navigate these changes with ease.
• I am empowered by the positive changes I am making in my life.
• I feel guided, inspired and supported to make these changes in my life. 
• I have authentically created a wonderful new ladder and lovingly placed it against the perfect wall for me.

Revitalize

Revitalize. The very word makes me pause and take a deep breath. It feels full of hope and possibility. Just reading the word gives me energy. It invites me to consider making changes or taking little steps that will breathe new life into my days and into my work.

The dictionary defines the word revitalize as “to give new life to” or “to give new vitality or vigor to.” Just as cities can undertake a revitalization project to bring new life to a tired area of a city, so can we take on a project that will bring new life and new energy to our own life. We can choose to revitalize the whole of our life or simply an aspect of our life such as a relationship, our health, our career, or our business. 

This revitalization work allows us to find new ways of doing things and new things to do that are in alignment with our authenticity and that leverage our passions. When we are revitalized, we have a spring in our step and a lightness of being that equips us well for our conscious entrepreneuring journey.

Insight-Seeking Questions

Consider these questions:

• What area of your life, work or busienss do you want to revitalize?
• For the sake of what, do you want to undertake this revitalization project?
• What difference would it make in your life or work, if you were to revitalize just one aspect of it?
• What would you choose to focus on?
• What would you like to see happen?
• What would it feel like to be revitalized in entrepreneurial role?

Successwork

Consider identifying one thing that would revitalize your spirit this week. What is one little thing you could do or one subtle change you could make that would bring more vitality, more energy to your life and work? Keep it simple and remember to start by taking baby steps. 

Affirmations and Intentions

Consider adopting or customizing one of these affirmations or intention statements or create your own.

• I am revitalizing my spirit and bringing new vitality and energy to my life. 
• I feel revitalized in my body, mind and spirit.
• My spirit is revitalized and I feel full of vitality and energy.
• I am revitalized and I bring that new vitality and energy to all aspects of my life.
• I am revitalizing my business and it is in turn giving me energy.

Celebrate & Do A Happy Dance!

You’ve done it! You’ve reached a goal or made a change in your life! You’ve accomplished what you set out to do and you did it! Way to go! Now, make sure you acknowledge your wins and accomplishments no matter how big or how small. Then find an empowering way to celebrate your accomplishment. Do a happy dance!

Journal it. Mindmap it. Document it. That way you’ll remember your success story down the road. Try to get clear on your secret to success. Identify your best practices so you can leverage those for future personal and professional change initiatives. When you do this, you’ve got a sustainable change roadmap that will work for you over and over again.

Then toot your own horn by letting your allies and others know that you reached your goal. They’ll want to do a happy dance for you, too!

Celebration and acknowledgement reinforces the positive changes you’ve made and sets you up for being able to successfully make those changes more sustainable.

You grow, girl!