Tuesday, May 20, 2014

The value in discomfort

What is comfort, really? It is about certainty, isn’t it? Why are we so attached to comfort? What is the value in comfort? What is the value in discomfort?

For years, one of my group agreements during trainings has been Lean into discomfort. I offer this for many reasons. I want to invite you to be okay with discomfort; be okay with not knowing; uncertainty. Discomfort holds freedom, growth, and opportunity. If you raise your awareness of your comfort zone, and agree to be willing to stand at the fence between comfort and discomfort, you would be allowed to explore many parts of yourself. Exploring your levels of comfort and your comfort zone allows you to decide what you are comfortable with and what you are willing to try. I believe it good to push the boundaries of ourselves in a mindful and loving way.

The awareness of being uncomfortable can challenge your thinking and allow you to stretch yourself to make a different choice. Discomfort invites you to ask yourself, “What is going on with me?” Discomfort puts your life long learner part of you into action. You can build up the courage to try something new. In the space of discomfort you can identify any triggers and how the past can effect decisions. Whether the discomfort is physical, emotional, spiritual, there is real information about the self. Our bodies provide clues to our emotional centers and any discomfort is trying to send a message. Are you listening?

Why is “being comfortable” so positive? How positive is it to be complacent? How positive it is to be closed off to limited beliefs and rules? How positive is it to place limits on oneself? How positive is it to be too familiar?

I guess this is the life longer learner in me, speaking. Call me an optimist and I see value in all experiences whether we experience discomfort or not. Perhaps we should shift from wanting to be comfortable to wanting to be happy. Historians have followed “comfort” and have found much of the basis of the definition to come from class disparities; growing from the notion of trying to find the middle ground between luxury and necessity. Some historians believe that the notion of comfort sparked the development of human rights and the call to end slavery. Sounds to me like more than just discomfort did that.

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

The power of community

I write this blog to model exploring different sides of myself, practicing first hand what I believe holistic leadership to be. I hope that you are exploring with me. I like to examine the unexamined and challenge us to meet the needs of our true selves as opposed to what early learnings and outside influences have taught and hypnotized us with. My intention is to guide you through some exploration so that your mind clears up and you build your capacity for making clear intentions for yourself in moving your journey forward in the best way you are able at this time.

After exploring many parts of yourself, I recommend you identify your community. I am not talking about what groups you belong to, I believe there to be a difference. You may be grouped into certain categories by others, I am talking about how you identify yourself and what communities you have chosen to be apart of. Who do you build community with? Why? Who do you admire and what type of people would you like to be surrounded by?

Coming together in community is so powerful. As a community builder & community manager, I notice that I build community for myself and through work projects. I build at work through coalition work, and facilitating difficult conversations for and with different communities. I build for myself in connecting and relationship building with thought leaders that hold the same values. I engage in events where dialogues are taking place that I can contribute to and learn from.

The center piece for my community building has always been food. I notice that there are now formal network brunches which I believe in and support. Food will forever bring people together. To break bread is such an old and honored tradition that still holds true today. I have learned from my grandmother that food and feeding people can be a way to show your love and respect. What are your favorite things to share when in community? What brings your communities together?

I learn so much from community and in community with members, who like me are thought leaders, spiritual seekers, authors, leadership development professionals, life long learners, community and earth advocates and much more. The benefits of community building are endless; you have an audience of support, an audience of mentors, teachers, students, leaders and supporters. Communities transcend lives individually and together at the same time. With community you lay the foundation for your network and areas where you can grow and thrive.

What I enjoy most about community is the sharing and exchanging of ideas that are near and dear to our hearts. What are important dialogues do you want to be apart of? How do you engage in them? How can your communities make a difference? Coming together in unity always stands for the best results so how do you engage in community?

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

Heritage

Heritage is about inherited traditions and how our past can influence today and tomorrow. It is encouraging that a holiday like Cinco de Mayo has been embraced. Although probably mostly for the wrong reasons now (like drinking tequila and margaritas), it is hard to breakthrough with non American traditions. Cinco de Mayo is seen as a day of celebrating Mexican culture, food and heritage. I invite you to celebrate other cultures and also reflect on your own and how you identify yourself.

It is interesting how the culture of holidays has changed over the years and what they have developed into. Cinch de Mayo has been connected to celebrating Mexican culture and heritage. When the tradition of Cinco de Mayo begun in the US, it was used as a rallying call to show support of Mexican resistance to French rule. In many ways we are celebrating the power of the people. Cinco de Mayo is documented in Mexican history as a day where a battle was won over French invaders. We are celebrating the power of the underdog, the under estimated and the under gunned. It is great to look at patterns; those passed down and celebrated around us. It is also good to know what you are celebrating.

There are so many traditions in this world. Some are related to larger transitions like the changing of the seasons and some are to honor those who came before us. There are others related to religion like Hanukkah. As modern technology continues to escalate, lineage is something that folks are exploring. There are free genealogy programs online and ways to support building a family tree. I like holidays like Cinco de Mayo because it brings out ethnic and cultural perspectives. Some folks in this country do not think in terms of ethnicity and heritage. It adds more layers to a person than just race and gender. The restriction of these categories does not tell an entire story especially if persons have not chosen nor identified these categories on their own terms.

What do you know heritage to be? When and how do you celebrate your heritage? Heritage is defined by what is passed down from preceding generations; about traditions, achievements, beliefs that are part of the history of a group and/or nation. Do you share your favorite things about your heritage with others? What are you choosing to pass down to your children/grandchildren that uphold your heritage? How do you respect and honor the heritage of others in your communities? Although we do not need to live our history, it is good to get to know our history in order to make decisions about our future and how we tell our story.