blog
Mt Shasta, California - a ’sacred’ mountain
23 Sep 2011
“Walk away quietly in any direction and taste the freedom of the mountaineer. Camp out amongst the grasses and the gentians of glacial meadows, in craggy garden nooks full of nature’s darlings. Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves. As age comes on, one source of enjoyment after another is closed, but nature’s sources never fail.”
John Muir 1901 (about Mount Shasta)
The Sacred
The sacred embodies whatever we cherish above everything else, whatever stirs our deepest feelings and awakens our highest aspirations. This will differ from person to person and from culture to culture. Whatever it may be, the ultimate value expressed in the sacred provides meaning, direction, and purpose in life. It gives us a sense of place and inspires our greatest efforts. There is a rich symbolism associated with sacred mountains which have been viewed as places of revelation, centres of the universe, sources of life, pathways to heaven, as divine sources of life expressions of the ultimate reality in its myriad of manifestations. Mount Shasta is considered to be a sacred mountain - one of the ’seven sacred mountains of the world’.
Fearing the winter of your discontent?
04 May 2011
Entering the season of winter, reminds me of the stagnant periods in my life or business. On reflection, these times of being in the ‘wilderness or wasteland’, have proved to be regenerative and necessary for a new cycle of growth.
Unlike the calendar seasons, these periods can happen at any time of the year. However, like the calendar seasons, down times of ‘winter’ seem to be followed by creative juicy periods of ‘spring’.
The winter periods don’t feel like much fun - more like a time to retreat, to re-think what’s happening: where you’re at and what you want. When it’s time to emerge, it’s like you have a clean slate on which to create something new - to engage in life in a more motivated and enthusiastic way.
Your particular ‘winter’ may have been spread out over the years and then out of nowhere, ‘spring’ emerges suddenly and a new chapter begins.
To make the most of opportunities that will inevitably come your way, know ‘the object of your desire’. Use the ‘winter’ periods to imagine something new. In doing so, you will activate the full creative cycle of regeneration in your life or business.
sneak preview
27 Mar 2011
Just released! A new inspirational book for children aged 4 to 7 years
Here’s a preview of the story, inspired by the arrival of grandchild number three: Daniel James.
Thomas could see the Earth and wonder what it would be like to be a human being. Even though outer space had lots to offer, he could see the beauty and magic of planet Earth. When the sun shone, Thomas glimpsed mighty rivers, mountains and trees. He was amazed at how the rainbow stretched form heaven towards Earth. He noticed the colours melting into the blue of the sky but couldn’t see what happened when the rainbow met the Earth………
The Great Sky Spirit announced Thomas’ arrival on Earth to all the other sky spirits. They celebrated by spreading a golden glow throughout the cosmos. The black velvety sky sparkled with stardust. Shooting stars collided to create spectacular fireworks and bright new stars were born. Colourful planets spun their orbit rings to make them glow brightly. Galaxies spiralled into a mighty whirlpool. The whole planetary neighbourhood clustered to join in the celestial dance. Many of the dark spaces filled with magical light……………….
A worried sky spirit interrupted: “What if Thomas loses his way?”
The Great Sky Spirit answered:
“Thomas may feel he has lost his way from time to time but there will always be special people to help him on his journey and remind him of his path. He will know to look to the stars whenever he feels afraid and call out to the Great Sky Spirit. The universe will care for him.”
“Will he be able to return?” A puzzled sky spirit asked. “Thomas will live out his life on Earth. He will be brave and strong in …
revise your day
17 Feb 2011
So - your day didn’t turn out the way you intended? Then tonight, revise your day. Revising the past is re-constructing what happened with new content. In your imagination, re-live the day as you wished you had lived it: revising the scenes to make them fit with what you wanted. By mentally falsifying the facts, you move from passive reaction to active creation. In this way, recurrence of the past into the future, is replaced with creating more of what you want. Knowing that ‘imagination creates reality’ means all that is desired, can be imagined into existence. Before you go to sleep tonight, revise your day by clearly visualising the revised scenes that match your ideals and you will take that energy into your new day. It’s a great way to ‘take the learnings from the past, leave the lessons behind’ to create the life you want!
Want to know more? Go to TIPS and read NEVILLE
What will motivate you in 2011?
07 Jan 2011
Now is a great time to decide what you choose to motivate you. There are many ways to react or respond to situations or circumstances we face. Become a creator. This means that knowing what you want will determine right action. This is the best way to be involved in your own life-building process. What’s the alternative? A common motivator is ‘guilt’. If you are motivated by guilt, you are making it about you (your ’stuff’) rather than what you want. This re-action (to your stuff) won’t serve you or anyone else. This year, have the courage to take responsibility to create the life YOU choose. Having a clean motivation, will ensure you create true end results, that serve everyone.
My favourite Christmas poem
29 Nov 2010
I see a twinkle in your eye. So this shall be my Christmas star and I will travel to your heart: The manger where the real things are.
And I will find a mother there who holds you gently to her breast; A father to protect your peace; and by these things you shall be blessed.
And you will always be reborn; and I will always see the star and make the journey to your heart: The manager where the real things are.
by Michael Leunig
Too busy and too lazy? Perfect prerequisites!
20 Oct 2010
If you’re too busy and too lazy then you’ll find it easy to be a professional creator.
If you have deadlines and back-to-back projects, you need to be efficient and direct in your methods to maximise your time, resources and energy.
There is a difference between ‘creativity’ and ‘creating’.
Creativity is focussed on the unusual - a departure from the norm. However, the creative process can become the norm or usual with practice and paying attention.
Professional creators such as film makers, writers, painters, architects, composers, etc. know how to create.
To create, you need to know what you want - as an ‘end result’. The next step is knowing your starting point - ‘current reality’. Now it’s time to focus your mind. The difference between where you are and what you want, will engage the mind’s ability to invent. When you do this, what you need to do to get there becomes obvious - simply and powerfully.
Focussing the mind leads to consistent and reliable innovation. This method will minimise wasted time, energy and resources. Your actions will count as you create effortlessly. So practice being a professional creator, in every area of your life.
Be great this Spring!
01 Sep 2010
It seems like I’ve been hibernating for the last 3 months, looking forward to emerging again in the warmer weather -
as if getting ready to bloom and blossom again as soon as Spring arrives.
Spring brings new growth and new birth - the evidence is all around us.
I have a new grandson - born just in time for Spring.
Nature’s instincts are at work: spring comes and the grass just grows itself - the break from mowing is over!
Nature’s instincts are also evident when the baby leans toward its mother’s breast or a young person turns toward a teacher and a child begins to dream.
In the early spring - we start to recall when ‘we were green’ - when we were that young child with a capacity to dream and eager to live it.
To achieve greatness this Spring, be the grown-up you always wanted to be when you were a child, and you WILL be great.
When you are BEING great - you WILL achieve greatness.
Wishing you a blooming great Spring!
What’s LOVE have to do with business?
02 Aug 2010
Everything! The number one emotion is LOVE. It’s the greatest gift you can give yourself and others.
A definition of love - “The selfish promotion of the growth of the other” -
“If you selflessly promote the growth of your customers and your colleagues - that’s love” Tim Sanders, Yahoo (from his book “Love is the Killer”).
We need to create emotional connections by asking “What if…..?” and “What would it mean……?”
“Respect is love in plain clothes” Franki Byrne.
Respect is the foundation of successful business.
People who make decisions purely based on fact are people who put their heart & emotions on the fridge before they leave for work and take them out when they get home. Making decisions with your mind AND heart, means that you are using your emotions - ie: “this is the right choice/decision - I feel good about it”.
Respect is about PERFORMANCE, REPUTATION & TRUST.
We have to understand people and what motivates them.
Business values are: commitment, innovation, integrity, leadership, responsibility, ease & grace, service-orientation, trust, reliability, creating value for others, being real, continuous improvement.
“By building respect and inspiring love, business can move the world” Kevin Roberts.
Interested to know more? Read - LOVE MARKS by Kevin Roberts (CEO Worldwide of Ideas Company Saatchi & Saatchi)
The Problem with Problem-Solving
05 Jul 2010
Many years ago, the buzz term was ‘problem-solving’ which was later disguised or replaced as being ‘solution-focussed’. This is the ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’ or if you like - ‘mutton dressed up as lamb’. In other words, they are the same thing - two ends of the same stick. Whether you are calling it ‘problem-solving’ or ‘solution-focussed’, the energy and attention is on the PROBLEM, so whatever action you take, will be in REACTION to the situation/event/person rather than CREATING what you want.
Next time someone comes to you saying, “There’s a problem” or “I have a problem” - STOP - you don’t have to go into ‘fix-it’ mode. Instead, say: “Before you tell me about that - what outcome do you want?” This question shifts their focus from the PROBLEM to CREATING what they want. If you listen to the problem, you will have a tendency to solve it by coming up with some solution that is in reaction to what they are thinking and feeling (psychological tension) about the situation which will only take them away from what they want. Be aware of your own tension around problems and remember, you don’t have to relieve your tension or anyone else’s. By identifying the TRUE END RESULT you desire, the RIGHT ACTION will become obvious. The first or next step will be clear. Take it and you will be on your way to CREATING THE RESULTS YOU WANT.