Amy Hoppock's Blog, page 6

On Inspiration {Sharing something NEW & Exciting!}

Elizabeth Gilbert in her book Big Magic talks about creative inspiration. She believes that sometimes ideas come to people, fully formed asking to be created. The idea stays with a person for a while, if they don’t create what is asking to be made, it leaves and finds another vessel. She shared a very powerful story of a time she didn’t write the story that had come to her, she knew when the idea left and she was surprised several years later to read a book almost identical to the inspiration she had had. In late December and early January, I started looking for a guided journal or planner to start 2020 with. I was so disappointed by what I was finding. Everything seemed focused on: crush your goals, do more, be more productive. The underlying message was, who you are isn’t quite enough, but if you DO more things, you’ll soon be AWESOME! I kept asking myself, where are the guided journals and daily planners that say, be more, don’t do more? I even decided to start my own bullet journal-but that lasted two weeks. (Kudos to anyone who can manage that! It was too much for me!) In mid-January inspiration came to me. One morning I knew exactly what needed to be created. The idea came fully formed. There was a clear path, with giant blinking lights showing me the path. I made it!! From start to finish EVERY step. I stepped into a flow that was larger than me and just kept doing the next thing. (I did have a professional editor edit…thankfully! She told me I was showing my age by putting two spaces after each period.) I made what I couldn’t find. Maybe it was more timely than I knew in January and February? Let me introduce you to the Be More Journal. She is 118 pages. Every word was thoughtfully considered to encourage more being and less doing…or maybe doing the things that matter, rather than doing the things that don’t. Be More Journal is a daily framework that you can use to order your day. It’s about Being More and Doing Less. That’s going to look different for each one of us. I hope this journal will be a tool for people to find what that means for them. It’s five daily questions to order your day around presence and being, rather than producing and doing. My favorite part is a short reflective reading each day. Just a sentence or two from people like Parker Palmer, Frederick Buechner, Henri Nouwen, Joan Chittister, & Madeleine L’Engle. I’ve learned so much from this process. There are times in life where things feel forced. I have chased ideas that sound so good in concept, but they just never flow. This was a completely different experience. There is no other way to describe it, but flow. Every step, so many new and unknown, just flowed as I kept doing the next thing. The details: It’s only available right now on Amazon. I’m waiting for some more copies but, well, things are moving slowly right now. If you decide to purchase my humble little journal, would you leave a review? Reviews will help other people find it.

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Reflective Reading: Finding the Indestructible

Here we are. Living our lives in uncharted times. Is it just me or did the reality of the world shift suddenly and seemingly without warning? I’ve been noticing how quick we are to adapt. What seemed unthinkable just a few weeks ago; spending days, weeks on end at home, without school, activities has quickly become almost normal. My kids and I are settling into a rhythm of our days that is predictable, peaceful and for now, okay. My daughter, the little sage, told me recently, “I think that at the end of this people are going to appreciate nature a lot more.” I think she is right. We are walking outside and slowing down. There just isn’t anyplace else to be. Last night we were on a walk and spotted two doves, in different locations that were walking on the ground. We stopped to observe both, each dove let us watched for several minutes. As we started to move on she held her hands together, bowed her head and said to each dove, “we bid you peace.” (she is totally my daughter…) Like most people, I vacillate between fear, acceptance, peace, and even joy. I’m having trouble reading any books right now. But I am finding that short, powerful paragraphs or essays are helpful. This quote by Pema Chodron seemed especially powerful for this season. Reflective reading is about slowing down to find the gold. It will be different for each of us. Read the passage slowly, what word or phrase stands out to you? What message do those words or phrases have uniquely for you? Is there an invitation for new ways to see or new ways to think? Only to the extent that we expose ourselves over and overto annihilation can that which is indestructible be found in us… Things falling apart is a kind of testing and also a kind of healing.We think that the point is to pass the test or to overcome the problem,but the truth is that things don’t really get solved.They come together and they fall apart.Then they come together again and fall apart again.It’s just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen:room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.  Pema Chödrön Some {MORE} Resources: Did you download my {Free} E-Book of questions and tools for asking better questions? You can get that here. I’m so excited to share the Strategic Futuring {Choose-Your-Dicount-Sale}: Strategic Futuring is a process that I learned in graduate school. It’s a vision-based planning process, that I LOVE! Last year The Genysys Group asked me to teach Strategic Futuring online -it was a dream come true and the realization of MY vision. Today we are launching a Choose-Your-Discount-Sale of the online course! {I taught the class-do I wish I were less awkward on video? Yes! But do I believe so much in the material that I’m willing to be awkward to get the word out…again, YES!) If you are, say under a Stay-At-Home order and looking for tools for growth and development… I KNOW that you’ll find value in Strategic Futuring. We really mean Choose-Your-Discount. We wanted to make it, name-your-price, but after days of trying to get the technology to work, we’ve gone with this method! If you like these questions, please consider SUBSCRIBING to The Art of Powering Down; Questions to Recharge Your Soul… Every week there is a question that will gently challenge you, encourage you, or help you live your life with more intention, grace, and purpose.

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Power of Questions-Ask Better Questions {Download}

We are living in a season of collective questions. Suddenly almost everything we think we know about, well almost everything is followed by a question mark rather than a period. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever experienced, and I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one feeling this way. I’ve been thinking, talking and writing about the power of questions for years. Questions help support, guide and challenge us. We see that more than ever. To lean into the questions is hard. Below are some thoughts I wrote about questions and answers several months ago. I’ve been pondering if, given the reality of the overwhelming questions we are living in, I still stand by these observations. Questions expand. Questions spur growth and creativity. Questions help us see new possibilities. Questions lead to new connections. Questions help us see things broader, with freshness. Answers often relieve tension but stop further development. Answers end the search and slow (or stop) continued curiosity and creativity. Answers imply there is a right and a wrong. Answers are dualistic (either this or that) when maybe we need more non-dualistic (both/and) thinking. Answers can provide a false sense of security. Answers put a period, where maybe there should be a comma. As hard as it is to be living in a season of collective questions, with very few answers, I do believe that questions are still powerful, do spur growth, creativity, new perspectives, and possibilities. It’s hard to wake up every morning with nothing but questions. Suddenly things we took for granted just a few weeks ago are framed with a huge question mark. (Will I be able to find bread, flour, kidney beans or toilet paper at the grocery store? Questioning if the shelves of a grocery store would have food is not a question I’m use to asking.) Questions frame everything we do right now. (Can my kids play outside? Should I place that Amazon order right now? Will the conference call line work, or will it be busy?) The lack of answers is really, really hard and sometimes frightening. We are asking big questions: How do we flatten the curve? What IS the impact of this on our economy? We are also asking the personal questions, how do I stay positive in the midst of so much unknown? What do I believe about human nature? Who am I and how do I respond? How can I help make this situation better? Several months ago I made a short e-book about questions. In the rush of life, projects, and ideas I didn’t do anything with it. It’s been sitting, waiting for the right time. (okay, I also just forgot about it!) But, with lots of home time, I found it again. We are living in a new normal, and I think maybe these thoughts on questions and tools that I’ve collected might be helpful to someone. {Maybe you!} Ask Better Questions is a 5-day journey to better questions. There is an essay, the best personal growth collections I’ve collected (I really keep a list of questions in my journal and in notes on my phone and I went through ALL the questions to pick the best, most provocative and helpful) a framework for daily questions and more! (as they say…) I hope you’ll download these questions and they might be helpful in some small way as we live in this unexpected season of questions. If just one, small question catches your eye and lodges in your heart, it will be worth it for me! (Please, let me know what that question is and how you use it!) P.S. There is another BIG project that took my attention away from this little e-book… it’s within a few days of being able to share…I am so excited to share that story. So please, stay tuned! Download this short e-book, for FREE here! NOTES on the Download: Click the link above, it will take you to the download page. Click the blue-button that says {Free-Purchase}. It will say {Check out} added to your cart. Don’t let the word “cart” scare you, it’s just the way the system works. The cart is free, you put in your email and you’ll get a link with the PDF download sent directly to your email. Check your email and download the link. You can print it out, read it in a reader application or do nothing with it! I hope if you use it, you’ll let me know what question “sparkle” up and become tools in your life! And please, share this link with anyone you know who might enjoy a few thoughts on questions. If you like these questions, please consider SUBSCRIBING to The Art of Powering Down; Questions to Recharge Your Soul… Every week there is a question that will gently challenge you, encourage you, or help you live your life with more intention, grace, and purpose. 

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Reflective Reading: On the Path

Reflective Reading or Lectio Divina is a practice I find so helpful. It is slowing down and reading the words, feeling the message rather than just quickly scanning to get the information.   We are in a back-to-basics sort of time as a culture.  I’m going to try to share passages that have caught my eye on a more regular basis.  How it works: Slowly read the passage several times. (Slowly being the key word-we’ve got nothing but time right now!) Don’t rush the reading.  We aren’t reading for information, we are reading for transformation.  Notice if a word or a phrase “sparkles” up from the text.  “Sparkle up” means when a word or a phrase stops you, interests you, or causes you to feel something new.  Think of being out for a walk and something shiny catches your eye. You stop and realize it’s a granite crystal that caught the light in a perfect way.  If you hadn’t been paying attention, you never would have seen that one, particular rock. This is the same idea, look for a small part of the text that catches your eye.  The final step is to look for the invitation.  What does the word or phrase that caught your eye mean for you? Is there something that you can learn from that? Why did that word or phrase stop you? How can you live, think or be different? It’s that simple.  Read the passage, slowly a few times.  Note what words or phrases stand out to you.  How does the passage make you feel? What is the invitation in the text to you? “We are always on the path to both (wholeheartedness or numbness) close to awakening and close to going numb.  At each step, we are a breathe and a choice away from being wholehearted or partial hearted. With each risk, we are an act of courage away from broadening and deepening or a hesitation away from narrowing and lessening.” Mark Nepo Finding Inner Courage This passage reminds me of the power of choice.  We are always just a single choice away, always, every day, in a million little ways,  from broadening and deepening or narrowing and lessening. Each day I make choices for both!  What a zig-zag path life is! Is this a choice that will broaden and deepen? Is this a choice that will narrow and lessen? It’s easy to frame broaden and deepen as the goal and narrow and lessen as the lesser choice.  BUT, it’s not always that way. We could flip it and think about a choice that could broaden and deepen a pain, hurt or problem.  And, there could be a choice that would narrow and lessen and thereby bring focus and more clarity. We get to use these descriptive words in the way the works best for us.  On different days they might mean different things. These are words for the PAUSE, the moment, the breath, the reflection between stimulus and our response.   Will I broaden, deepen, narrow or lessen? “So in your days, when feeling narrow and needing to broaden, when feeling less and needing to deepen, put down what seems certain and reach for what seems clear.” -Mark Nepo Finding Inner Courage If you like these questions, please consider SUBSCRIBING to The Art of Powering Down; Questions to Recharge Your Soul… Every week there is a question that will gently challenge you, encourage you, or help you live your life with more intention, grace, and purpose. 

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Living in Dis-Ease

I have a shampoo bottle with a mantra printed on it: I allow my life to flow with ease. It’s silly really, but there is something calming about reading that simple line as I start my day.   I allow my life to flow with ease.  The past few days it’s been harder to find the ease.  The world feels filled with a lot of dis-ease.  I don’t know what sense to make of the news and fears that have ramped up in just the past few days.  Since I don’t have the skills or knowledge to cut through all of the opinions and information I’m left to navigate a time of great unknowing. How do we find ease in a time of dis-ease?  In this moment of Dis-ease, I’m trying to focus on what I know; the sun will rise, trees are just starting to come back to life, with small buds just waiting to unfold.  The grass is getting greener, the air is crisp and walks help.  The sheets still need to be changed, the dishes done, and heaven knows that even in dis-ease, there is still laundry to be folded (why is there always laundry to be folded!) The Dis-ease of now seems to have a 99% inflection rate and is 100% contagious. Our lives suddenly look so different.  The routine that is a source of order and calm-of ease, is gone.  And yet, we still need to eat, exercise, laugh and cry. There are still phone calls and video chats to be had. The most meaningful parts of life go on. A wise friend last week, “It’s like the world has just discovered that life is uncertain.”   Life didn’t become more uncertain with the cancelation of the NBA or PGA or school(!!)  Life has always, by definition been uncertain. The difference is, on most days we can gloss over the uncertainty by sheer will and a lot of good fortune.  I read last night, “fear is seldom wise and never kind.”  (Ursula K. Le Guin) I This is my mantra for today: Fear is seldom wise and never kind.  I’m going to breathe a bit deeper, pause a bit longer and try to be wise, and most importantly…kind. (I’m reading No Time to Spare by Ursula K. Le Guin- I’m just a few pages in, but, so far, so good) With thanks to Rob Bell for dis-ease (Listen to his thoughts on living in a time of dis-ease here) I’m also loving this ap right now: Pray as You Go. Enter your email to subscribe– It’s only ever used to notify you of new questions from The Art of Powering Down.

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Jan/Feb 2020 Reading Update

I haven’t been so good about blogging. But, I have been getting a lot of reading in. This is a roundup of everything I read in January and February. I discovered a series that I have loved and discovered that I prefer another series in audiobook form! The Starbridge Series Glittering Images (Starbridge #1) Susan HowatchGlamorous Powers (Starbridge #2)Ultimate Prizes (Starbridge #3)Scandalous Risks (Starbridge #4)Mystical Paths (Starbridge #5) I LOVE this series. Each book stands alone, but if you read them all, they are connected and you’ll have a fuller picture of some of the characters. The Starbridge Series was written in the ’80s and ’90s about clergy in the Church of England. The stories are set in the ’30s-’60s. The first half to two-thirds of each book is about the mess the main character creates through compromise and bad decisions. The last section of each book is about the Spiritual Direction that the character undertakes to correct the mess made. It sounds weird, but the stories are very engaging and as a friend said, they are “old fashioned” in the writing style. Each book is 450-500 pages long, so the story unfolds slowly with lots of attention to detail. They are very “interior” focused books and stories. I would start at the beginning and read in order. The Honey Bus: A Memoir of Loss, Courage and a Girl Saved by Bees by Meredith May I have a long-standing obsession with bees and beekeeping. When this book came up on a Kindle daily deal it was a no brainer that I would read it. That turned out to be a happy accident because I found out later it is the Boise Reads Book of the year. It the true story of a young girl who learned about beekeeping from her adopted grandfather. It was lovely to read about bee adventures. The best part of the story was the relationship between the author and her adopted grandfather. The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall I LOVED this book. This was my first tear-jerker of the year. It’s the story to two couples, who are opposites, yet circumstances and life-callings force them into a tense partnership. Celebrating Abundance: Devotions for Advent by Walter BruggemannGoodness and Light: Readings for Advent and Christmas by Michael Leach These were the two books I read for Advent this year. Both were good. I like the compilations that Michael Leach put together, and this advent one was well done. Felicity: Poems by Mary Oliver Mary Oliver Poetry. What more can I say? Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Loss by Margaret Renkl These were short nature-based essays that were autobiographical. For me, this was a slow start, but it did build as the story progressed. I appreciate a thoughtful nature essay. Born A Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah This was my first Audible book, ever! As far as audiobooks go I really enjoyed this one. It’s narrated by Trevor Noah and I can’t imagine not listening to him read/tell his own life story. I’m so glad I listened to this book. Kingdom of the Blind (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #14) by Louise Penny Another one of my beloved Inspector Gamache books. This was another audiobook that I borrowed from our library. I LOVED this book on audio. In fact, I think I will only listen to books in this series going forward. I had started the book and was having trouble getting into it as a print book, but once I heard the narration I was hooked. Radical Spirit: A Guide to Authentic Living by Joan D. Chittister I started this book last year sometime. I was curious about Sister Joan Chittister, and this book didn’t disappoint. She does a deep dive into the 12 Rules of Benedict that have shaped her monastic life. I loved learning about how these ideals are lived out in real life and how the practice has shaped her. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy This book was an impulse purchase and I think I’ve bought at least four more copies to gift to my kid’s teachers and a few other people. My son was the first one to recognize the magic of this simple book. He said, “Each page has a life lesson.” It’s hard to capture, it’s simple and yet profound. I love this one! In The Shelter: Finding a Home in the World by Padraig O Tuama I was first introduced to Padraig on the On Being podcast. He is an Irish poet. This book is a collection of essays that are mostly autobiographical. I enjoyed it and my copy is dog eared and highlighted. (that’s when I know a book is really good) He has a new poetry podcast, that I really enjoy. Poetry Unbound (Check it out!) Shameless plug… I get to host a podcast two times a month with Ray Rood. Our latest episode was on books that influenced each of us! Check it out here. Enter your email to subscribe– It’s only ever used to notify you of new questions from The Art of Powering Down.

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Where have I been giving others’ expectations too much weight in my own decision-making?

Questions have power! 32 Questions: A Personal Quest Through Questions is my book. This is your invitation to engage with important questions to ask yourself. This week is all about Question #11 in 32 Questions: Where have I been giving others’ expectations too much weight in my own decision-making. Sometimes when I look at a question or phrase I look for the words that stand out. Giving, expectations, weight are the words that caught my eye in this question. Let’s think about these words in order to understand the question a bit deeper. Where have I been GIVING other’s EXPECTATIONS too much WEIGHT in my own decision-making? Giving: Giving means to “freely transfer possession of something to someone; to hand over.” That word “freely” really stands out. Where are we giving others without any cost, OUR decision-making power? Giving can be good. We should all be giving people, but I’m not sure in this context this kind of giving can serve us well. This question asks us to be thoughtful about how we let others influence our decision-making power. In the following Friends, episode Rachel has “given” ALL her decision making to Monica (which Monica was HAPPY to take.) Of course, this is extreme, but it is interesting to watch through the lens of giving others too much weight in our own decision-making process. The part where Rachel tries to “fire” Monica and Monica replies, “you can’t fire me because I make your decisions and I say you can’t fire me.” It is ridiculous and crazy, BUT don’t we sometimes do this? We let other people make decisions and tell us what to value, what to do and we can’t seem to “fire” them. Rachel clearly has complete agency but she acts a little befuddled by Monica’s insistence that she can not be fired. Overplayed, but there is a lesson for us all! Expectations: Expectations are defined as a strong belief that something will happen. Expectations can be powerful things. Sometimes what we expect happens because we MAKE it happen. If our expectations are that people are doing their best for us, we will see that! If our expectations are that people are out to hurt us and harm us, we will always find a way to see how we are being harmed. Expectations are resentments under construction. Anne Lamont Because expectations are so powerful, we should at least be aware of who’s expectations we are following. Weight: Weight (in this context) is to assign importance or significance; influence. Who are you giving weight to? There ARE people that should have weight (significance and influence) in our decision making. Sometimes I have been guilty of giving the wrong people weight and NOT giving those closest to me the weight they should have. A good rule of thumb is giving weight to the people we share a roof with and not giving weight to those outside of our roof. In our culture, only small numbers share a roof. Who is under your roof (real or symbolic)? Who should have weight in your decision making? Where have I been giving others’ expectations too much weight in my own decision-making? The other element of this question that I like is it is about identifying the areas where you are giving others more access and influence in your decision making. It’s a reflective question more than a specific question. This is a PAUSE question. A question that helps move us (yet again) from reactive to responsive. When we identify how we are giving others more weight (influence, impact) than is appropriate we can begin taking back our power. This isn’t an easy, or a comfortable question, but it is an important question. This a question that can help bring freedom in ways we may not even be aware that we need. THAT is always an exciting journey! Enter your email to subscribe– It’s only ever used to notify you of new questions from The Art of Powering Down.

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Reading Challenge-December Update

December marked the end of my first Good Books Reading Challenge. My goal was to read 52 books. I ended with 82 books. Some Stats: Fiction: 34Non-Fiction: 46Books written by women: 49 Quick TAKE lessons: Reading begets reading. (The more I read the more I wanted to read) Reading makes readers. (My kids are reading way more now and never leave the house without a book.) Reading transports. (I’ve been exposed to ideas, places, beliefs that I would not have considered had I not read the books.) Keeping a reading log is fun and helpful. (This is the first time I’ve ever kept a list of what I’ve read. I love having a log. It helped me see patterns and learn about my reading habits. I used Good Reads. BEST OF: Non-Fiction (Top 3 in no particular order) Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer Wild Mercy by Mirabai Starr The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben Fiction: In this House of Brede by Rumer Godden A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens Series: Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan Inspector Gamache by Louise Penny Cormoran Strike by Robert Galbraith December Books Talking to Stranger by Malcolm Gladwell I listened to this on Audible. I decided to give Audible a try for the next few months. I think I would have liked this book better had I read it and not listened to it. It’s very interesting and disturbing. The content he covers to make his point is unsettling and difficult. Listening to it was sometimes just too much for me. That said, it’s a book that is worth reading. I’m trusting myself less when it comes to understanding people and that’s probably good because he makes a clear case that we aren’t very good at it! Read this book, don’t listen to it. “The thing we want to learn about a stranger is fragile. If we tread carelessly it will crumple under our feet… The right way to talk to strangers is with caution and humility.” ― Malcolm Gladwell, Talking to Strangers Glass Houses (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #13) I was reading this while I was listening to Talking to Strangers which was a very interesting experience. This book is about a police officer who trusts himself to judge character. To read this while listening to Malcolm Gladwell’s masterfully layout case after case that detectives got wrong because they trusted themselves to read people was an interesting experience. That aside Louise Penny just doesn’t disappoint. This story was masterfully written and so thought-provoking. “Three Pines is a state of mind. When we choose tolerance over hate. Kindness over cruelty. Goodness over bullying. When we choose to be hopeful, not cynical. Then we live in Three Pines.” ― Louise Penny, Glass Houses A Great Reckoning (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, #12) This might be one of my least favorite of the series. But an engaging story, none-the-less. It’s so fun to be invested in a big series and see the characters develop over time. “There is always a road back. If we have the courage to look for it, and take it. I’m sorry. I was wrong. I don’t know. I need help. These are the signposts. The cardinal directions.” ― Louise Penny, A Great Reckoning My Glory Was I Had Such Friends by Amy Silverstein This book was wonderful. It’s an autobiography of a woman waiting for her second heart transplant. I had never considered organ transplants before reading this story. It was hopeful, funny, sad and very thoughtfully written. I’m glad I read this book. It’s one worth reading. It’s the account of her friends that traveled across country week after week to stay in the hospital with her while she waited for a heart. She never spent a night alone, her friends were there every.single.day. “Think where man’s glory most begins and ends, and say my glory was I had such friends.” W.B. Yeats Enter your email to subscribe– It’s only ever used to notify you of new questions from The Art of Powering Down.

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What Does Leadership Mean To Me and Where Can I Expand My Leadership Role?

Questions have power! 32 Questions: A Personal Quest Through Questions is my book. This is your invitation to engage with important questions to ask yourself. This week is all about Question #10 in 32 Questions: What does leadership mean to me and where can I expand my leadership role? Leadership is one of those words that people use all the time. It can be a hard word to define. How do you define leadership? Have you thought about it? I am a firm believer that there is power in being clear about how we understand words. Clarity is power. I define leadership as influence. Leadership is influence with people we are in a relationship with. Influence means the ability to affect the character, development, or behavior of someone we have a relationship with. Do you see yourself as a leader? Leadership isn’t something that is reserved for people in paid positions. Leadership is skills, habits, and patterns for everyone who works with, lives with, or interacts with people! Leadership is a relational skill. You are a leader. You are an influencer to someone, whether you acknowledge it or not. Seeing yourself as a leader can be a powerful shift. Leaders lead.Leaders made decisions.Leaders influence people.Leaders start things. Stepping into your role as a leader is another tool that helps move us from reactive to responsive living. Within the role of a leader is the responsibility to take the “responsive pause” before making decisions. Leaders make intentional decisions rather than letting decisions make them.What shifts would happen if you started to see yourself as a leader? A leader in your family, a leader in your neighborhood, a leader in a friendship or a leader in a classroom. When leadership is defined as influence there is room for everyone at the table. Leadership is not a role just for one or two “professional leaders.” Leadership is acknowledging our power and significance in any relationship. You have a unique and important perspective to bring in any group. What does leadership mean to you? Where can you start to see yourself as more of a leader? How will that change how you approach and think about your part in that group? One more thing: Self-Leadership is a thing! If NOTHING else be a leader for yourself. . . Make decisions, don’t let decisions make you. Think about how you influence those around you and do it with thoughtful intention. Be an instigator of positive change for yourself and see what happens in your sphere of influence! I love these words from Marianne Williamson, I think they are a call to leadership. Our Greatest Fear —It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens usOur deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous,talented and fabulous?Actually, who are you not to be?You are a child of God.Your playing small does not serve the world.There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that otherpeople won’t feel insecure around you.We were born to make manifest the glory ofGod that is within us.It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone.And as we let our own light shine,we unconsciously give other peoplepermission to do the same.As we are liberated from our own fear,Our presence automatically liberates others. Marianne Williamson “If your actions create a legacy that inspires others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, then, you are an excellent leader.” Dolly Parton “Leadership is a series of behaviors rather than a role for heroes.” Margaret Wheatley “A leader takes people where they want to go. A great leader takes people where they don’t necessarily want to go, but ought to be.” -Rosalynn Carter Enter your email to subscribe– It’s only ever used to notify you of new questions from The Art of Powering Down.

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Is There A Place I Need To Ask For Help?

Questions have power! 32 Questions: A Personal Quest Through Questions is my book. This is your invitation to engage with important questions to ask yourself. This week is all about Question #9 in 32 Questions: Is there a place in my life that I need to ask for help and let someone in? Asking for help can be really hard. Yet I’m rarely disappointed by the results when I do ask for help. We are made to help and support each other. Most theories of human development (leadership development and even wisdom development) include the importance of moving from dependence to independence and ultimately to interdependence. Dependence = I can’t do this myself, I need you to help me.Independence = I can do this myself. Interdependence = I could do this myself, but with your help, it would be better and we all will be stronger. The thing with human development is we can get stuck or stagnated at any stage. Independence seems to be one of those “sticky” stages of growth. Our culture places a high value on independence. What if we came to value interdependence more than independence? What if we valued asking for help more than going it alone? After all, independence seems to be much more of an illusion that interdependence. Think about your last salad. You might have independently prepared it, but how many hands helped get that salad to you? Someone planted the seeds, others watered and tended the crop. It was harvested, sorted, packaged, transported, shelved, and scanned. A simple salad passed through oh, so many hands before you prepared it for your lunch. Asking for help with a problem is practicing the strength of interdependence. Sometimes the thought of asking for help is hard. I tell myself things like, “I can figure this out on my own. It is not that important, other people have bigger problems, on and on it goes.” The thing is when someone asks me for help, I never think “oh they could have done this themselves, or this is not a big deal.” I’m always happy to help. Finding helpers when we are stuck is like infusing new energy and wisdom into whatever problem has us stumped. The helper will undoubtedly see our problem with fresh eyes and with a new angle that we may have overlooked. When we are stewing on a problem it is easy to slide into patterns of framing and seeing the issue in the same way. We tell ourselves a story about our problem and then we stay pretty true to that story. Helpers may hear our story and offer us possibilities where we have convinced ourselves there are only brick walls. Our lives are such an intricate web of interdependence maybe it’s time we lean into what is already there? The other part of this question reminds us that we don’t need to let everyone in. It is about finding the right people. Not everyone is the right person to help with a problem or walk with us on a journey. We get to be strategic and thoughtful about the people that help us along our path. Sometimes too many voices are just too many voices, which become confusing and not helpful. Is there a place in your life that you need to ask for help or let someone in? Where do you need some help? Who do you need to ask? Enter your email to subscribe– It’s only ever used to notify you of new questions from The Art of Powering Down.

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