Tiny-little-practices-that-make-a-difference — Fostering . . .

Here is the second in a series of tiny-little-practices-that-make-a-difference.

Now that things are opening up, what is it that you want to foster?

To Foster: Derived from the old English verb fōstrian meaning to nourish, the current dictionary definition reads: To promote the growth or development of; to further encourage and affirm.

Transitioning into a new normal is an opportunity to be conscious about where we put our attention and energy. Fostering is a remarkably powerful human activity that we invest wisely, or otherwise, depending on how intentional we are. Fostering is at the heart of mentoring, teaching, parenting, creative endeavors, and any good leadership. (There are times that we might catch ourselves fostering a negativity in our lives that is giving rise to hardship and struggle . . .)

Here are some reflection questions to consider:

What is it that you are fostering these days? 

To what do I give encouragement through my actions?

To whom do I give encouragement and affirmation? 

Looking over your responses to these last two questions . . .

How in alignment with my deepest longings is my fostering activity?

Are there any energy leaks or distractions I feel the need to address?

Are there any shifts or changes I would like to make in my fostering activities? 

Daily questions to carry forward:

What would I like to foster or encourage today? What simple action might this require?

Who needs my affirmation and encouragement? In what way can I offer it?

Where can I go for the affirmation and encouragement I need to stay connected to the golden threads in the tapestry of my life? 

And here is a poem that I hope will offer encouragement as you pick up this tiny little practice . . .

It Is I Who Must Begin
- Václav Havel

It is I who must begin.
Once I begin, once I try —
here and now,
right where I am,
not excusing myself
by saying things
would be easier elsewhere,
without grand speeches and
ostentatious gestures,
but all the more persistently
— to live in harmony
with the "voice of Being," as I
understand it within myself
— as soon as I begin that,
I suddenly discover,
to my surprise, that
I am neither the only one,
nor the first,
nor the most important one
to have set out
upon that road.

Whether all is really lost
or not depends entirely on
whether or not I am lost.

Tiny-little-practices-that-make-a-difference — Greeting the day . . .

Here is the first in a series of tiny-little-practices-that-make-a-difference.

The liminal space between sleep and waking is a fertile place for writers and artists, anyone engaged in creative endeavors, really. Here is a way to attend to the awakening you experience every day . . .

Pay close attention to the moment you become aware that you are coming awake. 

What is coming through from the dream time into the waking time? 

What sensations do you feel as you pick up your body? 

As the particulars of life come tumbling in, how are you feeling? 

How much of a ‘yes’ can you greet the day with this morning? 

Before you make that first big move of the day, before you put your feet on the floor and rise up out of bed. . . Place your hands gently on either side of your very own face. Tune into the miracle of touch as your fingers make contact with your cheeks. Holding your face in your hands as if you were an infant, whisper to yourself, “Good morning, glory.”

Note: If by chance there is a loved one beside you, turning to them and repeating some version of this gesture is a lovely addition to the practice. Finding your children, and adjusting the practice for age appropriateness is a great way to remind yourself and them of their glory. My experience is you that cannot avoid being an embarrassment to teenagers, but their take on direct gestures of appreciation will evolve over time . . .

And finally, here is a poem some dear friends shared with me the other day.

LIGHT
~ Bernadette Miller

I want to write of the light
but I do not know
whether words can illuminate
the way it hangs
upon branches and bird wings
and broken things
returning beings to beauty.
Can words spin substance
from sunshine and decay?
Can words cajole
celebration from night-weary
birds?
Can words warm surfaces
of stones and sorrows?
Can words reveal richness
in mundane
and battered
things?
I do not know.
But if we would write
a tomorrow
which is wider than wounds
we have worn,
we might wield words
like benedictions
and remember
blessings
within brokenness,
beginnings
within endings,
and beauty
within all things.

Where was the Beauty, Truth and Goodness in 2019?

Good morning from my blue chair,

I’ve been scanning back over the year in recent days with my practice development hat on. Yesterday I dropped in to an approach to reflecting on the year 2019 through the lenses of beauty, truth and goodness. I found that writing my way into the questions below shone light on this year for me. So, I’m sharing it here in the hope that it will contribute to the waking up and growing up that we all need to do in these wonderful and terrifyingly tumultuous times.

Carve out some time to reflect on the year 2019. Pull out your calendar to jog your memory if need be. Respond to the prompts below for each month in your journal. So, you will be responding to 6 prompts for each month. (Could take you as long as an hour or so to complete . . . . ) Grandness or intimacy in your answers are all appropriate. I think you will find that specificity gives wonderful depth to the process.

In the month of_________: (You could also take it season by season . . . . )

In what way(s) were you the cause of something beautiful?

Describe a time that you experienced beauty?

In what way(s) did you reveal or speak the truth?

In what way(s) was the truth revealed to you?

In what way(s) were you the cause of goodness?

In what way(s) were you on the receiving end of goodness?

Upon completion, give yourself a little time to let your responses settle. The year end practice I’ll be posting in early December will give you an opportunity to consider any action that all of this may inspire in you.

I hope and trust that you will have as much fun with this one as I have!

Warmly, Lyedie
November, 2019
Putney, VT

Photo credit: Leslie Williams

Harnessing the Energy of Spring

May 2nd, Walpole, New Hampshire

It is a glorious May morning and I'm just in from a walk. While I was out there I got inspired to offer up a few simple practices for harnessing the energy that spring offers. My hope is that you enjoy them, and they are helpful to you in some way.

Many of us are looking to further our intentionality, resourcefulness and the ability to enjoy life.  Working with the cycles of nature can help us to understand how to sustain these capacities over time. The practices below are intended to build your capacity:

  - To initiate more intentional communications with others

  - To work actively with the cycles of the creative process that are inherent in nature

  - To be more resourceful

Harnessing the Energy of Spring   (A few practices)

Recent breakthroughs in the field of neurobiology are telling us just how connected we are to the natural world and to each other. The palpable uptick of spring is a gorgeous example of this truth.  Our bodies and minds are attuned to the waking up energy at play in the natural world. This provides great support for initiating communication, moving up and out in purposeful ways.

Take a Daily Infusion: Carve out time on a daily basis for an infusion of spring. This could be just 7-10 minutes of your lunch break or a longer stretch if your schedule allows. The idea is to go outside and commune with spring as it bursts forth.  Leave your mobile phone behind and refrain from engaging in conversation. Dedicate this time to being fully receptive and aware of what is occurring in the natural world — the rain falling, sun warming, buds swelling, ferns unfurling, sap rising. Let it all bring a smile to your face. Invite it infuse your energy level and mood as you go on with your day. Doing this on a daily basis will support the initiating practices outlined below

Reflection: Take note of how being receptive to the uptick of Spring actually shifts your well-being, how it changes your energy level and emotional state.

Look for Opportunities to Break out of Winter’s Grip:  As you go through your day, look for ways to break out of the stasis of winter and to push forward into new possibility. The stasis of winter is something we often experience internally as a kind of inertia.  When you are on the verge of breaking out of it you might feel euphoric (and a even a little reckless) from the uptick that spring is giving your limbic system. But it is just as likely that you will experience at least a twinge of anxiety and feel your courage quicken. At those times consciously attune yourself to the energy of spring, the “yes” energy of inspiration and yearning; go with that.

Two Ways to Break out of Winter’s Grip:

1. Start Something: Start a project (small or large) that is dear to your heart, one that you have been considering but that has been in the grip of winter's inertia. Initiate that new project at work. Make that recipe that appears daunting. Throw that dinner party. Send that letter of intent. Teach your child how to knit.  Hurl yourself into preparing that garden bed.

Reflection: How much energy do you gain by applying your attention and energy to something that is meaningful to you?

2. Break Through and Melt Ice: Communicate intentionally by saying what you see and what you’d like to see.  Tell someone what you notice is happening in the space between you. Begin with the data; describe what you observe in as objective and straight forward a way as you can. Then express your warmth and what you hope for, what you would really like to experience and perhaps why. (It could be that there is something you'd like to see more of, or something you’d like to have less of, or perhaps there is something you wish was different than it is.) Be as real as you can, be your authentic self, listen to their response, stand in your intention.  This may feel risky at first and I encourage you to start with the small stuff. Sentence stems are a great help:  

I notice that . . . 

I see that . . . 

Followed by

What I’d really like to . . .

What is important to me is . . .

Here are some examples:  

I notice that we don't have dinner as a family the way we used to . . . I really miss it and it is important to me that we get back on track by having dinner together at least three times a week.

I notice that when you ask me to make changes in the work I submit for approval, even though I value your input, I get defensive. . . . I'd really like to be able to accept criticism more gracefully and be open to feedback so that we can collaborate more effectively .

I notice that when you greet me at the end of the day with that quick little kiss on my cheek . . . that I really want you to linger there with me a little longer. 

Reflections:

What does it take for you to say what you see and to offer your tender hopes to another?

What happens when you do?

How could you become more adept at these conversations?

Go ahead.  The idea here is to work with the inherent full-bodied invitation of spring. Experience how spring works with you to support your intentions. Notice how spring invites us, by its very nature, to be restless in our frozen old habits, to envision new patterns and potential, and to move up and out into the fullness of life. I urge you to harness the energy it offers to do what really matters to you.

Feel free to let me know how it goes.

As a life and leadership coach I help my clients develop capacities they need to meet their objectives, and to fulfill their promise.  Developing a new capacity is building a new muscle; it takes repeated effort and awareness through practice. 

May spring bring be all that you hope for!

Warmly, Lyedie

Artistry

Working the creative process—getting to know it better and use that knowledge effectively—is at the heart of the work I do with artists and creative entrepreneurs. Finding and forging new ways to place work in the marketplace and promote it successfully—taking the work to the next level of recognition—is a critical part of the challenge that artists generally bring to our work together. Here are some examples that might also be relevant for you:

• Responding to the call of the work

• Opening more fully and consistently to “the muse”

• Being guided by inspiration and grounded in practicality

• Managing time in a way that supports creativity

• Developing the capacity for discipline that is required to manifest anything

• Cultivating a devoted following and finding powerful representation

• Wrestling earnestly with issues of sustainability and emergence

At the outset, I ask simply that you begin to see your self as an instrument of creativity, an instrument that is somehow longing to fulfill an essential promise. Everything we take up in our work together—from the practical, to the sublime, to the seemingly ridiculous—flows from that.