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Blog
I posted today for Innovative Connections, Inc and I thought the question was worth sharing. . .
We did a webinar last month on mental models. . . those potentially incorrect beliefs we hold about people or situations that can get in the way of us seeing a deeper truth (or even the REAL truth).
One question to contemplate is "What story are you telling yourself RIGHT NOW that maybe incorrect and NOT true?"
The power in this question comes from the ability to hold a different story or a new truth. It shapes new emotions, new beliefs and can change the very core of our relationships. When we can consider, even for a moment, a pluralist perspective, we begin to understand that there exists a diversity of views and interpretations. Our single story about a person or event actually locks us into emotions (perhaps anger, fear, shame, guilt) that might not even reflect an actual truth.
So, what is your story that may hold a different meaning? If you held that new meaning, even for a moment, how might your emotions and feeling towards the person or situation change as a result?
This post was written by Isaac Sisneros who serves in the Service Excellence Department of a large hospital system.
Today, I am grateful to serve this hospital and the patients that come here for care. Today, let me be proud of the work that I do; this work is sacred, will I see it as so?
Help me, in this moment, to be grateful for the honor of assisting those in pain, in fear, in anger, or in any other form of suffering; when I see their suffering and am thankful to be of service, I am transformed through empathy, kindness, and compassion. And my intention is to transfer this transformation to my fellow human beings in need.
May I respond with a smile. May I respond from my heart. May I be filled often and from this full capacity, may I give with my vitality, in my humility, and from my whole-heartedness.
Let me be grounded, malleable, and permeable; like water, I seek to cleanse, soothe, and flow into the cracks that are frequently unseen, unnoticed; and be faithful to that which sustains and nourishes all parts of this greater whole. Let me be. Let me be WITH others. Thankful for this work and opportunity to be full and emptied and filled up again and again. A witness. A voice. Eyes and ears and heart. Mindful.
Isaac Sisneros
This morning, I felt the need for a quiet meditative drive. I am in a beautiful location, so I headed off down the country roads determined to explore and be open to whatever emerged. I love those moments; those times when we can break free from the routines and demands upon us and allow life to consume us in unexpected ways. My heart was bursting open this morning with love, gratitude and emotion.
I have captured these images in my mind and treasure their blessings. I was mesmerized by the natural wonders that surround us every day. I watched as two men fish on a lake as smooth as glass. I am coming to believe that fishing offers a highly introspective quality that I may have underestimated all those times my father headed out with his fly vest and pole
As I drove down a narrow one lane road, I passed a man and his young son, walking hand in hand down the path, blissfully exploring the world around them. I cannot even describe the look of pure contentment in their eyes.
I noticed two women in a sea of what appeared to be wild daffodils. They smiled at one another as they cut a bouquet; arms full of blossoms.
I drove by two older men, parked side by side on the road, conversing and laughing boisterously with one another as if all that mattered in that moment was their friendship.
And then, as I turned a corner, my most miraculous sight of the trip. . . I was witness to a farmer in the field as he helped a newborn calf rise to its feet for the first time. In that moment, the tears could not be held back any longer.
We are surrounded by so much beauty every second of our lives, but too often, we are not able to "see" it. My hope myself and others as I dream of tomorrow is that I can open myself up to magic and wonder of life. I hope for the ability to see the beauty that is in front of me always.
They say time heals all wounds. I think what I’ve come to realize is that time merely changes them. Some scars are deeper than others, some grief experienced more profoundly and some changes more intensely felt.
There are times when a song or a voice; a laugh or a cry; a word or a post, a picture or a touch takes you to a place of remembrance. Feeling the loss comes in anger, depression, grief or acceptance and seems to depend on the way time has mended the pain.
We cannot measure our hurt against that of others as we are the only ones capable of knowing our own inner sorrow and grief.
If what John Green says is true and "grief does not change you. . . it reveals you.", then I seek clarity for myself and others and to what is emerging from the piercing heartbreak.
We are living in a rapidly changing world and loss of all kinds surround us. As leaders, we manage change, we inflict change, and we encourage change. What we are often not as strong in are the skills to navigate the grief that follows changes. Guiding ourselves and our employees through the grief that results from significant change and loss is a critical skill as we engage in environments that require transition.
I ask that we find a way to manage endings so that we are supported in our growth and in a way that reveals our authenticity. May we never ignore the beauty of what we may have lost and may be not forget that working through the loss, however great, is the only way to arrive at the new beginning.
Last year, I wrote the blog which follows. In honor of Lindsey Sterling's new song "Shatter Me", I thought this might be a good time to repost. The lyrics speak to fear and the need to shatter the glass if we are to feel alive. Hope you enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/user/lindseystomp
Reposted :
About 18 months ago, my son bounced down the stairs from his room beaming from ear to ear. He had heard an amazing new artist and couldn’t be more pleased at his “discovery”. I followed him up and together, we watched her youtube video. Her talent was undeniable and I would find out more recently, that her teachings (however unconscious) were even more meaningful.
For Christmas, we purchased tickets for the family to see Lindsey Stirling in concert. She was coming to a venue in our area and I thought my son would love it. He did. Her concert was unbelievable and her talent unquestionable, but what I took away from that night would forever change my worldview.
I occasionally show her early music video (attached below) with leadership teams that I work with. I love watching the audience’s reaction and I am sure it echoes mine the first time I saw it. Some are brought to tears, others remain speechless, many are moved beyond words and ALL are awestruck. At her concert, Lindsey shared a portion of her journey with the audience. 18 months ago, this talented young girl was told by record producers (do we still use this term?) that she was not good enough. Really? She was not good enough?
As she thanked her audience for making her famous through social media venues such as youtube, I was inspired by a new reality. So often, our fear limits our choices. It forces us to relinquish to old paradigms that seem stable and true, but actually are outdated and antiquated. We believe that what is stopping us is a true opinion others have projected unto us. Too frequently, this opinion becomes our reality. This was my first lesson that evening: nothing can hold back our passion and purpose. Sometimes, we just need to move past our own paradigms of what is and is not possible. Sometimes, we must go beyond the boundaries society establishes and shatter them with creative and innovative alternatives.
Her concert featured several other artists who “opened” for her. Like her, their fame was driven by social media and an adoring public following. This became my second lesson of the evening: collaboration. From these artists radiated a core belief that we can all be successful if we support and collaborate with one another. Too often in our society, we hold and act on the perception that your success must equal my failure. We step over each other in the hopes that it will help us “get ahead”. Yet, our evolutionary survival has always been contingent upon supporting one another through cooperation and collaboration. Where did that message get lost? When did we begin accepting the belief that for me to win, you must lose? In reality, what research will tell us is that in organizations and in life, those who help each other "get ahead" also experience great success.
That became my final gift from the night. A continued renewal and reminder that we can all be successful. There is room and space for everyone to show up and contribute their best. We have an ability (and actually an obligation) to move through our fear and support our deeper calling- despite all the barriers others throw up in front of us. The fears the others project do NOT need to become our reality.