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Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 10:02 pm on July 21, 2020
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The 4 Catalysts: Book 1, Part 1, Chapter 1

Alright, so I am going to start working on this book again, and am going to share it with you here. I had another site, of the same name as the book, yet it was just too much to manage, so I redirected the site a month or so ago, and am now ready to start working on it again.

The chapters are rough, and in an iterative state, yet it will be fun to engage with all of you through this narrative.

Be well, read well, and stay well. -Jeff

The 4 Catalysts

Catalyst – a person or thing that precipitates an event.

Change – the act or instance of making or becoming different.

Chaos – complete disorder and confusion.

Seed – the cause or latent beginning of a feeling, process, or condition.

Introduction

They were catalysts, and didn’t know it. How could they? When life is full of change that you precipitate, it all seems the same. Change is only seen as occurring differently when there is a normal by which you measure such change. Normal is not a word, or a way of being, that they knew. No, change is what they knew, constant and ever present. Their normal, their every day.

Chaos on the other hand they knew well. Chaos is everywhere in the world, yet humans believe there is an order to things. Time is a good example of a seemingly ordered set of principles, and people rely on it immensely. Yet, time is not ordered. Time is, in fact, very chaotic. Time changes, and precipitates events, and also creates disorder and confusion, hence chaos. We put stability on time, time is not stable. And, this they knew.

They were seeds, and this everyone knew. Seeds of chaos and seeds of change, hence the catalysts.

Known – recognized, familiar, or within the scope of knowledge.

Being – the nature or essence of a person.

BOOK I

Part 1

1

“The power of a bold idea uttered publicly in defiance of dominant opinion cannot be easily measured. Those special people who speak out in such a way as to shake up not only the self-assurance of their enemies, but the complacency of their friends, are precious catalysts for change.” -Howard Zinn’

Goodreads

It was a day like any other day, chaotic, and ever changing, yet they knew it not, as normal was equal to change in every way and in every part. The winds change, the tides change, the moon changes, yet people believe they are static – for the sun is in the sky surely it is static, not moving – not true.

True to them, was the everyday occurrence of defying the traditional societal model. Pushing back on the status quo. This was their work. Their life work, in fact.

There were four of them. One in the east, one in the west, one in the south, and one in the north. Connected by a deep inner knowing, not by physicality, not by geography, but by a knowing. Knowing, familiar, recognizable, and within their sense of being.

Their being was their calling. Their mere existence was catalyst enough. No action necessary, though in action were all four, always. People, events, even ideas were attracted to them. And, inside of each of these people, events, and ideas even, were the seeds of change. Seeds that were drawn out and exercised by the four.

One person, event, and idea at a time. And sometimes, on rare occasions, a person, event, and idea coalesced in such a way that the confluence of which created change across the globe.

The East

Was where Sheldon was located, atop a mighty castle stretching to the very bounds of the heavens, in the nether regions of the continent, tucked away in a hidden forest overgrown with hundreds of years of growth. Trees and bushes dripping with dew from the continuous rain showers that plagued this area of the globe.

These forests were also home to many small tribes, all of which paid homage to the heaven stretched castle known as the Castalistidom – the catalyst.

One such tribe, the Wiki, were sworn to care for the Eastern catalyst and had been doing so for thousands of year, generations upon generations. Nestled within the forest all around the Castle, they tended the crops, raised the cattle, traded and barded with neighboring tribes, and of course, took care of the Castle grounds and Sheldon’s estate.

Within the Castle there were several Wiki, some cleaned the Castle, some prepared and cooked meals, some counseled Sheldon on affairs of the estate and neighboring lands, and one Wiki in particular, Quara was always with Sheldon, whether at home or afar.

Quara was old, very old, and had been serving at Castalistidom their whole life. Generations of Quara’s family served in this same capacity, and though difficult, Quara would not have it any other way, for Castalistidom was the way of life, the only one, that Quara, and their people, knew of.

Sheldon was in their room, which was at the very center of the Castle, below the main floor, where it was often dark, just like Sheldon liked it. For it was in this darkness that Sheldon found the light.

The light that was inside of the meditative practice, Sheldon’s Art, the gift given so many generations ago. Given by whom, no one knows. No one dare asks, for it was given at a time of great upheaval in the world, an upheaval not seen since.

Generally, peace was the edict of the day, yet that was about to change.

#change, #fantasy, #fiction, #scifi

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 pm on July 21, 2020  

The Blog + Video Series #7: Creating Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence: noun

The capacity to be aware of, control, and express one’s emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically.

Emotional Intelligence (EI) is not something that we are born with, though we are all born with a set of emotions. Emotion, like thought, taste, touch, sight, hearing, and smell are one of our major senses.

It’s only been in the past couple of years that I’ve been working on getting in touch with, or, rather, understanding my own emotions. Many people believe they are in touch with their emotions, yet they are, in fact, simply covering them up with other things.

For instance, I used to cover up my emotions by overeating and drinking too much.

Of course, at the time, I was not aware that I was engaging in those destructive habits as a way of denying, or refusing to accept, my emotions.

And, like many of you, I was not aware of nor was educated about my emotional self. For instance, I was not aware that when anger arises, today at least, it typically means that I am suppressing another emotion, which is usually sadness. Sadness, and the desperate need to cry.

Photo by Christian Lue on Unsplash

I have read, and have taught, about masculinity in regard to emotions, and have commonly said, little boys are not taught how to deal with their emotions.

In fact, they are taught to suppress their emotions.

I thought at that time, I was in touch with my emotions, because I was able to theorize the accuracy of the information about masculinity and emotional intelligence.

However, theorizing about a subject, and actually knowing and understanding that subject on a visceral level are not the same thing. At the time I was teaching on masculinity and emotions, I was severely overweight and drinking heavily.

Not in touch with my emotions at all.

Photo by Victoria Roman on Unsplash

Fast forward two years, and I am now just beginning to get in touch with my emotional self, which is both a painful and liberating process. Doing so has taken seeing someone once a week, and doing the internal investigation necessary to understand my emotions, and the events in my past that I am still holding onto.

Creating EI then is an intentional process of inquiry and investigation into parts of ourselves that we may want to leave well enough alone.

Yet, what I am beginning to understand is that inquiring into, and investigating, our inner selves is part of being human, and our shared humanity.

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:42 pm on July 19, 2020
Tags: , , , , , , , , , loveeachother, , , , , theworld, transparency, weareallconnected,   

Creating and Maintaining Relationships Part 4: The Relationship System

Photo by Nick Owuor (astro.nic.visuals) on Unsplash

Have you ever thought about how relationships work? I mean how they function within the systems and spheres that we move through? It is an interesting question, and one that we will explore in this post.

In my first post on relationships, Creating and Maintaining Relationships: What else is there?, I write about how all relationships start with you, and go outward. Here is the diagram from that post.

Now, in this post, we are going to expand on this simple relationship diagram, so we can see the movement that occurs through each of these relationship spheres. Let’s start with the relationship we have with ourselves, as it really does all start there.

Relationship with ourselves

In the post, The Self-Development Tips Series 1: The Art of Loving Yourself, I write about the importance of developing a highest-quality relationship with ourselves. That, in fact, learning how to love ourselves is the very first step in having other high-quality relationships. It is a must. Really.

Without a high-quality relationship with ourselves, we cannot create high-quality relationships with others. Why? Because if we don’t know how to take care of ourselves, to love ourselves, we cannot give care and love out to others. Not in a sustainable way.

We must first develop deep care and love for ourselves, then that same deep care and love will go out from us to others.

Photo by Alex Block on Unsplash

Relationships with Family

Once we have a high-quality relationship with ourselves, we can truly be there for our family. In being there, I mean have open, honest, and loving communication with each other; developing those high-quality relationships along the way.

In the post, Creating and Maintaining Relationships Part 3: Understanding Our Emotions and Strengthening Our Relationships by Slowing Down, I write about the importance of noticing when we are being inattentive to how we feel. Important.

When we are inattentive to our emotions, and are reacting without pausing, there is a higher likelihood that arguments with our partners will become more common. These pauseless reactions also function the same way with and toward our children.

It is important to note that we are not reacting to our environments in this way intentionally. Fully understanding how we are reactive, includes learning about our “triggers.” What are they, whom are they with, and why do we have them? Once we know, we can create space to pause, think and reflect, and then choose a different action.

All of which when combined with having a loving relationship with ourselves, free of blame and shame, creates whole new possibilities with the relationships we have with our family.

Photo by Tyler Nix on Unsplash

Relationships at Work

In the post, Three Transformational Leadership Skills, I write about developing high-quality relationships at work. Developing these relationships, like the ones we have with family, also starts with ourselves.

Once we are clear on who we are, and how we think and feel, we can develop work relationships that are strong and long-lasting. In the article I note three essential skills all leaders should develop in order to create these high-quality relationships.

  1. Authenticity – knowing who we are is the first step, then being who we are all the time is the next.
  2. Safety – creating a safe environment with the team you lead, or work on, is essential. People will not be authentic with you unless you are also authentic, and they feel safe.
  3. Transparency – being forthright about the state of the business, and issues that arise, are also important. Sharing with the people you work with is important for them to feel included, and valued.

These three skills, of course, are also important for us to develop in our personal lives. It works like that. What we develop for ourselves, we end up developing for everyone around us.

Relationships with the Community and The Greater World

How we develop ourselves, and our relationships then goes out from us and into the community, and, yes, the greater world. When we create a focus on our inner development, people around us develop, and the community also develops. That is movement.

The movement is part of the way the relationship network, or system works. Here is a simple illustration that goes a bit further than the above referenced system image, showing that we are connected through everyone we know, ultimately, to all people.

By continuing to add more contexts into the above illustration, you can create more complexity in how the relationship system is interwoven.

Ultimately we are connected to everyone, and everything, and what we give out, comes back to us. All contexts are also connected, sometimes directly, and sometimes indirectly, as the above illustration also shows.

Whether the connection is direct or indirect matters less, than the realization that all that we do on this planet as human beings touches each other in some way. Important.

Relationships are so important. Really. The relationship we have with ourselves is the starting point, and, as you can see, it is only the beginning of how we, as human beings, end up touching everyone and everything around us. Even when we don’t know about it.

These relationships and all that we give and get from them are crucial to moving society forward. Without them, there would be no movement.

Know that every action you take to develop and grow yourself also grows your family, friends, teams, organizations, communities, and the greater world.

Develop well.

#authenticity, #community, #connection, #developingourselves, #development, #developmentandgrowth, #emotionalintelligence, #grwoth, #leadership, #loveeachother, #loving-yourself, #relationships, #relationshipsystems, #safety, #theworld, #transparency, #weareallconnected, #workrelationships

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 1:52 pm on July 19, 2020
Tags: , , , , , , , , theartofpossibility, ,   

The Blog + Video Series #6: COVID-19 and the Art of Possibility

Possibility: Noun – a thing that may happen or be the case.

I’ve been thinking more about possibility this week. What’s possible in our new landscape? Are the same things possible today, as were possible 6 months ago?

Not sure? Me either, so let’s take a look.

The Art of Possibility is about creating a context. A context specific to new ways to think about old and or new problems or issues. It is about letting go of preconceived notions of what is possible in a given situation.

The psychology of possibility is rather simple. Let go of the past, be in the present, and create the future from where you stand today, seeing reality as it is.

Not how we think it is, rather how it really is.

Seeing reality as it really is means being aware of our thinking patterns, and knowing when we are limiting ourselves by presuming or assuming we know all there is to know about a problem, issue, or situation we are faced with. Factually, humans know very little – if you don’t believe this blogger, read a little Socrates.

Photo by Jez Timms on Unsplash

The sociology of possibility involves creating traction with those around us in the art of possibility. As I’ve written elsewhere, humans are social animals, and rely upon connections with other humans.

It is only natural then that groups will function in accordance with the language they use to describe their shared reality. If that language is about limitation then limitation is what they will see and create.

If, however, that language is about possibility, then possibility is what they will see and create.

The possibility of possibility is about remaining open to new ideas, new understanding, and letting go of the notion that we know. Seems simple, yet can be difficult, as human beings are in some ways programmed to think they know more than they do, which is where vulnerability comes in.

Being open means being vulnerable.

Be vulnerable today in some way. Create and share a possibility with someone in your context, and, or create and share a possibility here. Either way, create and share. What else is there, really?

#covid-19, #creativity, #knowing, #learning, #possibilities, #possibility, #psychology, #sociology, #theartofpossibility, #vulnerability, #vulnerable

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 2:14 pm on July 18, 2020
Tags: collectivecontributions, , creatingcommunity, creatinggovernment, creatingstates, , indivudalcontributions, recreatingcommunity, recreatinggovernment, recreatingstates, youareoneofakind, youruniquecontribution   

Creativity During COVID-19 Part II: The Need For Creative Contributions

Photo by Sarah Kilian on Unsplash

The first blog I wrote on this website on April 18 of this year, Creativity During COVID-19, was also the first blog I’d ever written. I’ve had a great time these past three months, writing, exploring myself, and interacting and engaging with totally new people.

All super cool and amazing people. All of you are. Fun.

I wasn’t even thinking about writing a part 2 to that initial post, until I came across the picture above. I had also, however, recently been thinking and reflecting upon the state of the COVID-19 virus across the country, and the tremendously scary impact it is having on people, business, well, on everything and everyone.

Photo by Shawn Ang on Unsplash

It also got me thinking about how the country, and greater world, will need everyone, really, everyone to step up by contributing their creative potential to their communities, states, and countries. Really. Why?

Because we’ve not yet nearly seen the end of the virus’s impact, which is going to last well into the future.

And, it will take all of us, each of us contributing what we can. Contributing our passion, expertise, and especially our creativity and love to developing new ways to live and work. New ways to be.

As I’ve written about in other posts, we are all creative. All of us. Creativity is where we find our highest potential, our highest power.

Creating ourselves each day, creating relationships again and again, creating business models, financial models, education models, healthcare models, and governmental models.

The list is endless of what will need to be created and recreated.

We will need to recreate all that we previously knew; and create whole new ways to move us forward. Individually and collectively. Yep, both.

What to do?

If you are already creating and contributing, wonderful. If not, join the fray. Start creating. Today. Right now. Create what is inside of you, your unique contribution.

You are one of a kind. No one else can contribute just like you. No one. Not possible. Your creativity and passion is one of a kind. And, the world needs it. We all need it.

I’m inviting each of you to step outside of your comfort zone, and contribute as you are able. Contribute locally, create something that’s never been seen before. Create it. Recreate something that once worked well in our previous reality, which doesn’t work today. Recreate it.

If you think you can’t, don’t know how, or aren’t talented enough.

Let me be the first person to tell you, that you can, you can learn how, and you are more than talented enough. You are all of those things, and so much more.

Be well. Create well.

#collectivecontributions, #covid-19, #creatingcommunity, #creatinggovernment, #creatingstates, #creativity, #indivudalcontributions, #recreatingcommunity, #recreatinggovernment, #recreatingstates, #youareoneofakind, #youruniquecontribution

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 10:41 pm on July 17, 2020
Tags: creatinglongtermgoals, creatingshorttermgoals, , dailyactions, , , , mindmaps, , , , ,   

Create A Vision For Your Future Self in 5 Minutes

Photo by tanialee gonzalez on Unsplash

Alright, I’ve written about creating a vision for yourself in several posts, yet, to date, have not walked through the process of doing so. What’s interesting is that people usually associate creating a vision with business, which makes sense, yet it makes as much sense, as we will discuss, to create a vision for yourself – for your life. Ready? Let’s go.

What’s first?

First, you want to get out all of your ideas about what your future self will look like, think like, and feel like. Here are some questions to get your thinking started.

  • What are your goals?
  • Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
  • Where do you see yourself in 3 years?
  • Where do you see yourself in 1 year?

That’s enough to get us started. Let’s take them one at a time, and use practical examples. Here we go.

Identify your 5-year goals

Make a list of all of your goals. Yep, all of them. Why? Because at this stage, you are concentrating on getting out all of the goals that you want to accomplish. Make a list. Here are some of mine.

  • Publish a book
  • Travel to Spain
  • Learn Spanish
  • Travel to Japan
  • Knee recovery so I can run again
  • Expand our remote community education classes
  • Take a trip out of the country with my best friend

Alright, there are some we can work with. Once you have your goals identified, pick one to start working on. Where you start in the future will depend on the goal. I suggest going out as far as you can. Why?

Because you will find that once you start thinking about 5 years from now, let’s say, more goals will come to mind.

Now that you have your 5-year goals identified, time to start working those goals backward. Meaning that you need to create 3-year goals that connect to the 5-year goals.

Photo by Alex Nemo Hanse on Unsplash

Year 3

Let’s use my 5-year goal to publish a book and work that backward. In order to actually publish a book 5 years from now, I would like to have 75% of it written by year 3? Why? That will give me plenty of time to edit, market, and engage people about the book.

Now, publishing a book is not something I’ve ever done, and that is okay. The realisticness of your goals in year 3 matter less, than that you have an idea or picture of what that future state will look like.

Having that picture in mind is important to the next step, which is creating the next year inside of the 3-year goal.

Photo by Isaac Smith on Unsplash

The next year

When you start working on your goal for the next year, you are now in the realm of actually putting your theoretical goal into practice. I’m sure you’ve heard people say theory should feed practice, well, it is as true that practice should feed theory. They are inextricably linked. Always.

Now you can choose how to create your next year inside of the goal you are working on. There are many ways to put yourself to work inside of your goal. First you need to decide what your goal will look like at the end of the next year. Let’s keep using my goal of publishing a book.

What will the book look like at the end of the next year?

I would like to have 150 double-spaced pages written. Alright.

Now, to complete 150 pages by the end of next year, I will have to schedule time to get those pages written. How? First, create quarterly goals. With this particular example, I will break 150 pages into 4 parts.

My quarterly goal then is 38 pages. Now take that to monthly, which is 13 pages. Yep, now to the week. 3 pages a week. Alright, I now have a weekly goal.

And, it is a weekly goal that is connected to a quarterly goal, which is connected to a yearly goal. And, that yearly goal is connected to a 3 year goal, which is connected to the 5 year goal. Phew. Pretty cool.

Here is the system. And, you can put any goal into it, and work it backward the same way.

  1. Identify all of your goals.
  2. Pick one to work on.
  3. Set that goal out into the future and visualize what it will look like.
  4. Work backward to year 3.
  5. Set that 3 year goal.
  6. Work backward to the next year.
  7. Set that yearly goal.
  8. Work backward to each quarter.
  9. Set that quarterly goal.
  10. Work backward to each month.
  11. Set that monthly goal.
  12. Work that backward to weekly.
  13. Set that weekly goal.

You can even take it to daily goal-setting, however, in this example it is not necessary. Now, if my goal was to get that book finished in the next year, taking the goal-setting to daily would actually be very helpful.

As you create these goals and work on them, know that you are actively creating the vision of your future self. Yep. And, as you put them into practice in your life, you are actively working on and creating your future self every day. Pretty cool, and fun.

How to organize them to ensure you move them forward?

Here are some tools you can use.

  • Calendars
  • Post-it boards
  • Whiteboards
  • Day planners.

How you organize yourself matters less than creating the actions and actually holding yourself accountable to doing them every day. Use whatever organization system that works for you.

And, if what you are using now doesn’t work, change it. There are tons and tons of tools for organization. So many.

Okay, that’s creating a vision of your future self in 5 minutes. Another thing I like to do with my goals is to create a mind map. As I’ve mentioned in many other posts, I am very visual, so I love to see my goals inside of a mind map.

In case you’ve not created a mind map, here is a quick video I created that describes the process.

Alright, you now have a system to create your future self. And, when you get into it, I think you’ll find that it is quite fun. And, guess what?

When you take those daily or weekly actions to create your future self, you will find that your longer term goals are being accomplished bit-by-bit each day. Happy creating.

#creatinglongtermgoals, #creatingshorttermgoals, #creatingyourfuture, #dailyactions, #goal-setting, #goals, #growth, #mindmaps, #practice, #selfdevelopment, #theory, #theoryandpractice, #vision

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 8:59 pm on July 16, 2020
Tags: changetheworld, createyourlife, createyourvision, , , , , livingafulllife, , takingastand,   

An Insight, an Inspiration, and A Quote: On Creativity and Vision 6/16/2020

Photo by Sharon McCutcheon on Unsplash

There was a time when I thought about creativity within a very limited framework. A framework that associated creativity mostly with art. However, what I know to be true today is that creativity is an unlimited framework. There are no limits.

Within this unlimited framework, here is an insight, an inspiration, and a quote.

Insight

You are it. Look for the answers you are seeking within yourself. They do not reside outside of yourself. They are within you. Have been, are, and always will be.

Create the life you want to live into. Create the future from the future. Always look within, then look forward. Make connections between that which you know to be true, and the future state you are creating.

A vision, your vision. You are the creator of that vision. Live it today, tomorrow, and for the rest of your life.

Photo by Rahul Bhosale on Unsplash

Inspiration

Visionaries don’t wait for someone to hand them a guide to life. They create it everyday. One step, once action at a time. Each day, every day.

And, guess what, you are a visionary. We all are. We just need to get out of our own way. How do you know when you are in your own way?

When you deeply want to do something, try something new – you know, that funny feeling you get in your tummy when you get excited or nervous.

Well, when we feel that, and know also that we are inhibiting our own creativity because we are concerned about what someone might think or say, we are in our own way. In that moment. And, when it passes, and we don’t act, we can also feel upset, yes, and also disempowered.

Disempowerment does not feed creating your vision, and living into it. Empowerment does. Yep. If you are feeling disempowered, don’t fear, you can also move yourself out of disempowerment and into empowerment. You can.

Here are some visionary women for you to draw upon. Creating visions, living into them, and changing the world.

A Quote

And, here are a couple quotes from that article, though, they are all awesome. Check them all out.

“What everyone in the astronaut corps shares in common is not gender or ethnic background, but motivation, perseverance, and desire — the desire to participate in a voyage of discovery.” — Ellen Ochoa

“Permanent remorse about failing to do your human duty, in my opinion, can be worse than losing your life.” — Miep Gies

“Technique and ability alone do not get you to the top; it is the willpower that is the most important.” — Junko Tabei

“I don’t go by the rule book… I lead from the heart, not the head.” — Diana, Princess of Wales

“The bitterest tears shed over graves are for words left unsaid and deeds left undone.” -Harriet Beecher Stowe

Take action today, create your vision, live into it, and change the world. You are capable of it, and can do it.

#changetheworld, #createyourlife, #createyourvision, #creativity, #empowerment, #insight, #inspiration, #livingafulllife, #takingaction, #takingastand, #vision

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 pm on July 16, 2020
Tags: , ideas, , intelligenceversusheart, , , , writingfromtheheadandheart   

The Blog + Video Series #5: Writing from the Head and the Heart

July 12, 2020

There is a difference for me in thinking about something and actually doing that something. I’ve been thinking about writing my whole life, and have only actually written during a very short period of it.

A couple of years ago I read the book by Stephen King, called On Writing. A great book, by the way. In that book King asks you to practice writing by imagining a situation taking place in a house, and you have to write the character, yourself I think, out of that situation. Out of the house.

I did that, and have started several other stories, including the one on this site, yet have, to date, finished none. So far.

Yes, I wrote in college, and even completed a thesis. Yet, that is not the kind of writing I’m talking about. Writing a thesis or a dissertation is about thinking. I’m talking about the kind of writing that comes from the heart.

Photo by Daan Stevens on Unsplash

The kind of writing that moves, touches, and inspires people. Maybe even puts people into action in their life.

Now, I am not insinuating that the book I am now working on will do that. Yet, in the book I am now working on I get to write from both the head and the heart, which is also distinct.

The difference, for me at least, is that I get to let go of the way I normally think, and get in touch with a totally different aspect of myself. Maybe this is a normal experience for those that write often. I would not know. It is, however, an experience that I like quite a bit.

As for writing, I don’t think I like it all that much. Especially the editing process. Difficult. Yet, there is a very real release in writing, which is quite intoxicating. And, it does provide that outlet for the release of ideas, which I do have many.

Photo by Juan Marin on Unsplash

For me the distinction on writing from the head and the heart is where you create from – are you creating from that thinking part of yourself, where you are analyzing every aspect of the paper or book to ensure it is reliable and valid.

Or, are you writing to write. Writing from the heart, which only really requires that you can stick with it until you have all of the ideas out of you.

Both forms of writing serve a purpose. Both are needed. For me, I have just realized in the last couple of years, that while I do enjoy reading both kinds of books, from the head and the heart,

I enjoy writing from the heart much more.

#creativity, #ideas, #inspiration, #intelligenceversusheart, #onwriting, #passion, #writing, #writingfromtheheadandheart

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 9:05 pm on July 15, 2020
Tags: assisting, , connecting, fearless, , insightandinspiration, , , keepstanding, lovemore, loveroverfear, standtall, weareconnected, youarenotalone   

An Insight, an Inspiration, and A Quote: On Love and Fear 6/15/2020

Photo by Adam Jang on Unsplash

This week I’ve been reflecting upon just how anxious people are, really. Everywhere. With more COVID-19 cases occurring throughout the country, people are wondering, worrying, and, in some instances, getting frustrated, and yes, even angry. Normal for a very non-normal situation. Whatever those words mean.

Alright, so it then occurred to me that creating a post, weekly, daily, not sure, about insights and inspirations I’ve seen and experienced might be beneficial for people. Especially people that are experiencing floods of emotion. Emotion that can be, at times, very difficult to feel.

Here we go then. An Insight, an Inspiration, and a Quote.

An Insight

Though every person on the planet is experiencing more fear than they normally feel, know that fear is a part of life. We are all fearful about the current pandemic situation. You are not alone.

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

We are all connected. Yep. When you feel alone, please remember, you are not alone. You are connected to friends, family, peers, colleagues, and people you don’t even know. Example. You are connected to me right now as you read this. Not alone. Remember that.

An Inspiration

Though we are all feeling more fear, people are standing tall all across this country. Yep. Standing for what they believe, standing for change, standing for each other. Helping, assisting, connecting, collaborating, inspiring, and loving each other in whole new ways.

Photo by Jon Tyson on Unsplash

There is so much love on this planet. Really. Everywhere. Love is inspiring. You are inspiring. How do I know that, you ask? Because whatever contribution you are making each day is exactly the contribution needed. Just so. Keep breathing, keep moving, keep standing, and keep loving.

A Quote

“Just don’t give up trying to do what you really want to do. Where there’s love and inspiration, I don’t think you can go wrong.”

— Ella Fitzgerald

SproutNoDoubt

Okay. One more.

“There is no such thing as a faithless person; we either have faith in the power of love, or faith in the power of fear. For faith is an aspect of consciousness. Have faith in love, and fear will lose its power over you. If you have faith in forgiveness, your self-hatred will fall away. Have faith in miracles, and they will come to you.”

— Marianne Williamson

SproutNoDoubt

Be well. Love well. Fearless.

#assisting, #collaboration, #connecting, #fearless, #insight, #insightandinspiration, #inspiration, #keepmoving, #keepstanding, #lovemore, #loveroverfear, #standtall, #weareconnected, #youarenotalone

Unknown's avatar Jeff Flesch 6:00 pm on July 14, 2020
Tags: , creatingnewroutines, creatingpossibilitiers, creatingpossibilities, , ,   

The Blog + Video Series #4: Motivation: Is it an inside or outside job?

July 12, 2020

This week I’ve been more present to motivation. What I mean is noticing awesome people in my contexts doing amazing things, and the motivation that comes from creating such possibilities. 

A good friend of mine once told me that motivation does not come from an outside source, that, in fact, motivation comes from doing things.

Thinking about motivation this way creates the space for an understanding that motivation doesn’t just magically appear.

Motivation comes from doing, simple.

Photo by Clique Images on Unsplash

Yet, as human beings, understanding what is a simple concept about motivation, is not always simple to put into practice. Why? Because humans create patterns (or habits) that are very hard to change. 

However, it is possible to change them. And, the first step to creating that change, is to understand that the motivation to do so will develop inside the actions you take to make these changes.

Motivation does not live inside of thinking about the changes, only in the doing.

With so much change happening as a result of the COVID-19 health crisis, then, all of us are living outside of our typical patterns, or habits, and that is difficult for everyone. You are not alone in feeling this way. 

It seems to me then that motivation is an inside job. The motivation to take action in life, lives inside the action itself, which we create.

Photo by tanialee gonzalez on Unsplash

Sometimes humans also want to connect an action to a result. However, connecting actions to results sets us up for failure. When we believe that we are taking action for a result, we concentrate and expect the result to look or be a certain way. And, when the result is not that way, we typically say, I’ve lost my motivation.

Motivation is not lost. It is simply hiding inside the next action, so let go of your expectations on the result, and take that next action.

My invitation – continue to take those daily actions, which create new patterns, new motivations, and new possibilities.

Until next time…

#creatingnewhabits, #creatingnewroutines, #creatingpossibilitiers, #creatingpossibilities, #motivation, #newpatterns, #takingaction