Life Needs To Expand

“What we fear in the world is not the evil in it, nor even the evil in ourselves; far more fearful is the good in ourselves, that good being so demanding that we are scared to dare our full capacity. We are afraid of our potential vulnerability. We very often forget that if our being is right, our doing will take care of itself. It is always easier to pull in our horns; to play it safe. In other words, not to climb out on a limb. It is always easier to stay where we are, to bury ourselves in our ongoing lives. We know better, but we forget to remember that life needs to expand over and over.” - Elaine Brown, Alumni Lecture, May 13, 1988, Westminster Choir College

During the coming year, there will be challenges. We will be stretched and we will be overwhelmed. We will struggle around how to proceed.

And during this coming year, we also will witness the good in people. They will surprise and delight us. They will go out on a limb and support others in marvelous ways.

Each new year is an opportunity to focus on the good in ourselves and others. If we take care of our being, then our doing will come from a clear and centered place. 

This coming year is a time for all of us to expand and embrace the good and potential in all things around us. We can transform the world by transforming ourselves and our relationships with others.

I look forward to the coming new year and the opportunities we will have to make our families, our communities and our workplaces better places.

Be well, be safe, and be strong. Better days are ahead.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

Seek Joy In All You Do

“You don’t have to wait for something ‘meaningful’ to come into your life so that you can finally enjoy what you do,” writes Eckhart Tolle. “There is more meaning in joy than you will ever need.” 

May the joy of this season fill your heart with gratitude.

May the joy of being together with your family give you hope for the future.

May the joy of discovering new blessings make each day meaningful.

From my family to yours, we wish you great joy, hope and a healthy holiday season. 

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

The World Begins to Change When We Change

Last Monday, I wrote about the importance of finding safe space, i.e. sanctuary, and safe people. I want to build on that today and focus more on finding safe people. 

In life, we all need allies and confidants. We need to be with people who can be 100% present, listen well, and see us as whole people. These are the people who do not want to fix us as much as support us.

These special people understand that the only way to recovery is through recovery. As the Spanish poet Antonio Machado wrote: “Wanderer, there is no road, the road is made by walking.” 

Margaret Wheatley and Deborah Frieze in their book, Walk Out Walk On: A Learning Journey Into Communities Daring to Live the Future Now (Berrett-Koehler, 2011) expanded on this understanding when they wrote: “It isn’t that there is no road; it’s that we won’t recognize it until we’re on it - it reveals itself step by uncertain step.” As they continued: “We make our path by walking it.”

From experience of walking this path, I have learned that there will be more questions than immediate answers. There will be grief. The journey will not be linear. It will be messy. And all of this is normal.

Still, I find hope in the midst of it all because of what Margaret Wheatley, wrote in her excellent book, Turning To One Another: simple conversations to restore hope to the future (Berret-Koehler, 2001). As she explained, “I also have learned that when we begin listening to each other, and when we talk about things that matter to us, the world begins to change.” This is a powerful insight and an important lesson learned.

This week, seek out your allies and confidants. Create space to share deeply and listen thoughtfully. When we do this, we are making a better world for our loved ones and our community. And this will change us and the world around us.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257

Find Safe Places and Safe People

Given what we have experienced the last two years, we all recognize that the recovery process from a global pandemic is not a linear journey. It has it’s ups, and it’s down. Some days, we feel stuck in a never ending trough of chaos. Still, there are moments of clarity and connection in the midst of it that give us hope for a new and better future.

When I think about those special moments, I am reminded of something Ron Heifetz, Alexander Glasgow, and Marty Linsky wrote in their excellent article called “Leadership in a (Permanent) Crisis” from the July-August 2009 issue of the the Harvard Business Review. As they explain, “find sanctuaries where you can reflect on events and regain perspective.” I like this short statement because they recognize that recovery revolves around two things, finding safe space and finding safe people. I particularly like the use of the word “sanctuary.”

The dictionary defines sanctuary as a place of refuge, safety or rest, a holy or sacred place, a building or room for religious worship, or a place that provides safety or protection. The holistic nature of this definition is uplifting and helpful. 

The two big questions this week are the following: 

Do you remember places you have visited in your life journey that have felt sacred?

Are you in touch with similar places in your life journey now?

In my life journey, I have found sanctuary in a clearing in the woods, a monastery in Vermont, a stone overhang in the southwest desert when hiking with our oldest son and his wife, and in numerous churches, cathedrals and Quaker meeting houses. Each of these places had a special spirit to them. It was not just the words that were spoken in these place as much as the gathered feeling to the space and the people who came together within it. 

And when that gathered feeling happened within these sanctuaries, we sat in silence. We, individually and collectively, reflected and regained perspective. This happened because we practiced being still, not doing still. It began by “taking our foot off the accelerator” and giving ourselves permission to rest, reflect and recover. We unplugged and sought mental stillness.

This week, answer the above questions. Then, give yourself permission to find safe spaces and safe people.

Geery Howe, M.A. Consultant, Executive Coach, Trainer in Leadership, Strategic Planning and Organizational Change Morning Star Associates 319 - 643 - 2257