Mark your Calendars...Stay Inspired is having a JourneyDance event at Integral Yoga Institute of Princeton (IYIP), January 8th from 7 - 9:30 PM. Nor prior dance training necessary to take part in this joyful movement improv. All are welcomed.
IYIP is located at 613 Ridge Road, Suite 110, Monmouth Jct. NJ, 08852
By donation: 80% of the donation goes toward the San Damiano Fund, an experiment in daily giving, Inspired by the work of St. Francis of Assisi, 20% toward JourneyDance honorarium.
RSVP: noemi.stay.inspired at gmail.com
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November 3, 2010
Great news! Stay Inspired is now an official IRS non-profit!
Helene Finizio, Love Light Community writes:
The Power of Intention
What do these two questions have in common:
What would you most love to eat for dinner?
What is the meaning of your life?
Answer? Other than the fact that they both begin with the word what, they ask us to think about our intentionality. Intentions are simply the direction in which we apply our free will. Choices are made to allow for the forward motion of our lives. When we stop and think, we can be more mindful, clear and in control of where we wind up.
For example, if we don't give any thought to our meals, we may find ourselves starving after too many hours pass and reach for anything in close proximity. However, if we plan ahead, we are much more likely to wind up with healthy, nourishing choices that sustain us in a positive manner.
The meaning of our lives is actually quite similar. As we think about why we are doing what we are doing, we can focus on simple tasks within our day. We do not have to have answers about our intentions for every day that is to come. We can start with today. (Just as we do not need to know what we might want for dinner every night for the rest of our lives!)
Starting each day with Intention can be extremely powerful in aligning our actions with our true will, overriding our tendencies to be on autopilot.
A great practice might be starting each morning with 5 minutes of deep breathing, simply tuning into yourself, and then setting one or two intentions for the day. They can be as simple as, "I intend to go for a jog today," or, "I intend to get three things on my to-do list accomplished today." After a while, you might just find that your life feels more balanced, your mind feels clearer, and your spirit feels more truly expressed in an intention-driven purposeful path.
Life happens one day at a time. What is your intention for today?
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Meditation Tip of the Month:
Create Your Own Reminders
Sometimes it's hard to remember to meditate when we are not in 'the swing' of our practice. Creating little reminders can be extremely helpful to get back into a groove with our minds, our spirits, our intentions and ourselves. Some personal favorites:
1) Post-it Notes! Putting little post-it notes around the house, on the bathroom mirror, on the fridge, on the computer, can be highly effective.
2) Schedule it in! If it's on my calendar, I know I'll see it.
3) Ask a friend to be your accountability partner! Having a partner in your commitment to make consistent change can be all that is needed to move intention into action.
4) Enjoy your practice! Have fun with it! When we like what we are doing, we will remind ourselves of the joy we are wanting. I strive for practices I truly enjoy each step of the way, opening doors to new meditative experiences that provide an even greater scope of awareness.
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From Jim Ambrogi:
We are very excited to share the news that Lazarex has an opportunity be awarded a $250,000 grant through the Pepsi Refresh Project. The grant is awarded to the project that receives the most votes during November 1st - November 30th. We need your daily vote for the month of November. Our proposal is titled "Give Hope and Life to End Stage Cancer Patients Through Clinical Trials". Voting does not take more than a few minutes. You are limited to one vote per day for the Lazarex project.
We will send out daily reminders to make the voting process as simple as possible with links to vote by text, through Facebook or on the Pepsi Refresh Project website directly.
Please share this with your friends, family, coworkers, and children. Anyone with a cell phone or internet access can help us.
We will use the $250,000 to:
.Support 15 new patients in FDA clinical trials for 8 months, providing hope where there was none and 3,600 days of life!
. Continue to support 15 existing patients in FDA clinical trials for 1 year, providing 5,475 more days of life!
.Fund 6 cancer screening clinics in the San Francisco Bay area for the uninsured - 2 each for prostate, skin and colorectal cancers for 200 people total.
At Lazarex Cancer Foundation we continue to offer hope, dignity and life for cancer patients and their families by helping them access today's medical breakthroughs through FDA approved clinical trials.
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Photos from the Board Meeting Weekend, September 18, 19, 2010:
Alien sculptures admire humans Clark, and Richmond
Gerarda on a tilted path in Clark's Garden
Clark introduces his garden to Richmond, Noemi, and Gerarda
Charlie's point of view in Clark's Garden
The Welcome Monkey, Richmond, Clark, Gerarda and Noemi in Clark's Garden
October 10, 2010
Contributed by Helene Finizio - Love Light Community
Graceful Transitions
Change happens every day. Every choice we make, every action we take, leads us to a new moment of now. Change is a natural and omnipresent part of life.
Do we flow gracefully through our ever-dynamic flux of what is? Can we learn to embrace transition as a joyous process, expressing the infinite possibilities of what can be and our outstanding ability to freely choose as we experience each moment of this lifetime?
Of course we can!
It starts with awareness. We ALWAYS have a choice. We can choose HOW WE RELATE to each experience as it arises.
For example, someone may have a dream that they show up naked to a junior high school science class and all of their most important business partners are the classmates. This could be perceived as a tremendously embarrassing experience and the individual might take this to mean that they are not ready to be where they are in life, or that their colleagues will not respect them if they show their 'true skin.' ALTERNATIVELY, this same person with this same dream could CHOOSE to perceive the meaning to be that they are ready to be more transparent, more authentic, more truly expressive of the 'unmasked self' and outgrow the old paradigms established back in junior high.
Awareness then leads to THOUGHTS AND BELIEFS. We must CHOOSE THOSE THOUGHTS THAT SERVE US, and in so doing SUPPORT THE BELIEFS WE FEEL ARE RIGHT FOR US. No matter what we have learned from our mothers, fathers, teachers, preachers or the endless "tickertape parade"* of self-talk we have on our 24/7 internal radio station, we are constantly becoming he or she who we have come here to be. This is not easy, it takes work. If we commit ourselves to aligning with those thoughts, and thus belief systems, that feel authentically right for the ever-evolving self in each moment of awakened self-awareness, we can form patterns that become effortless moving forward.
Thoughts and beliefs guide our BEHAVIORS. It is not enough to make a choice, create a thought and even rest in a new system of beliefs if our behaviors do not express, and thus make manifest, our new and improved state of being.
Immanuel Kant created a supped-up version of the golden rule with his categorical imperative, stating that the maxim, or basis, for any act should be such that we would will it to be a universal law. In plain English this simply means that the intention behind any action or behavior should be something that we would want not only ourselves but also everyone else to honor and use. This can be applied to perspectives, thoughts, beliefs and actions alike.
A graceful transition is a lesson for any joyous life. We are the creators of our own experience. We are the decision makers of our conscious awareness. We are the leaders of our own trajectory.
Are you choosing to flow with love for yourself and others? Do you experience your own grace in our ever-changing world?
There is so much love present here for you right now, in this moment. I invite you to choose to perceive it, right now. The rest is up to you.
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Meditation Tip of the Month: MOVE!
So often we think of meditation as a sitting lotus flower position, early in the morning, a picturesque view of mountains rolling through the vista. How many of us find ourselves in this setting, or up early enough in the morning to take the time for a seated meditation at all? Better yet, even if we had all of this, how often do we remember to start our day in this way? If you are like me, often the day is filled before we even get out of bed. Meditation can happen any time in any location, or more than one at a time! Walking to work, or even just out the door on our way to run an errand can be a great time to take some deep breaths and tune in. Going for a jog? Taking a yoga class? Doing a workout at the gym? Use the motion to start a moving meditation practice! All it takes is a little intention, a bit of awareness, and the ever-present breath!
With Love and Light,
Helene Finizio Lovelight
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Contributed by Michael Hines, Inferential Focus:
A link to an interview with Chris Hughes (Facebook co-founder) on social media catalyzing actual change. The link will also introduce you to Mashable.com, a site that carries news on social issues and activisim, as well as a bunch of other things (hence the name I guess).
How often in your day do you stop to FEEL GRATITUDE?
If you answered even once, you are ahead of the curve!
Think about a time when you were challenged. Remember the event, how you felt, and any fears that arose and doubt you might have had. Now think about how you handled the situation. Did you overcome your fears to accomplish what was needed? Did you falter and hold yourself back? Did you run out of the room screaming?
No matter what the case, you have LEARNED MORE ABOUT YOURSELF IN THE PROCESS.
We come into this lifetime as babies. We look to the world, our family and friends, our bodies and our minds to educate us as we move forward into adulthood. We make countless mistakes. We feel embarrassed. We get frustrated. We get angry. We ask ourselves, "Will I ever be 'there'"?
Guess what? You already are 'there,' the illusory 'there' of the HERE AND NOW. And in the HERE AND NOW you have LEARNED SO MUCH FROM ALL OF YOUR LIFE EXPERIENCES. YOU HAVE CREATED SO MUCH FROM YOUR PASSIONS AND ENERGY. YOU HAVE GIFTED THE WORLD WITH YOUR PRESENCE AND PARTICIPATION AS WE ALL LEARN AND EVOLVE, TOGETHER.
So I invite us all, in this moment, as we read this letter, to pause...right now....right here....and LOOK BACK WITH GRATITUDE FOR ALL THAT HAS BEEN A PART OF OUR INCREDIBLE JOURNEY IN THIS LIFETIME AS IT INFORMS US HOW TO MOVE FORWARD FOR OUR GREATEST GOOD, AND THE GREATEST GOOD OF ALL.
When we make mistakes, we learn. When we get things 'right', we learn. When we take a moment to FEEL the GRATITUDE for all that is ALREADY HERE, present in our lives AS WE CONTINUE TO GROW, we SHARE LOVE WITH THE UNIVERSE, WITH ONE ANOTHER, WITH THE PLANET and WITH OURSELVES.
Gratitude is an extension of LOVE. At the core of our Being, we are all capable of feelng the truth of LOVE AS A PRESENCE IN THIS WORLD.
No matter what happens, there is a Core Love that is here to support us every step of the way. In our moments of pause, as we feel gratitude, we are connecting with that Core Love and deepening our relationship to it ever more so.
I invite us all to create a reminder to take pause each day, perhaps a note on the bathroom mirror or a bracelet that you wear, and connect with the gratitude for what is present in our lives today. The struggle, the joy, the discomfort, the excitement...all of our experiences ultimately leads us to greater awareness and CLARITY OF LOVE that is present in every moment, in every day.
***
June 23, 2010
Disney Rewards Volunteers:
I found out about a unique volunteerism reward program through Disney:
It's called "Give a Day. Get a Disney Day", so Disney are giving people who volunteer a day of service, a free day at Walt Disney World or Disneyland.
A website offering Green Jobs, Green Services, Green Grants, Green Loans. Upload your resume free. Announce your services free.
They have a newsletter with events, ideas, lists of job seekers, and potential partners for green businesses or organizations, letters, inventions, and more "fun stuff".
You can also contact GreenJobsPhilly through paul5glover(at)yahoo.com, 215-805-8330
author sounds like Mary Oliver, but I am not 100% sure.
Wild Geese
You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies, and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile, the wild geese high in the clean blue air
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting—
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.
*************************************************
From:
Joe Kulin
Associate Producer
LINK-TV Global Spirit series
"Art and Creativity" at the Rubin Museum.
Another inspiring event that the group might wish to know about is a presentation by Tibetan Lama Lhanang Rinpoche who will be at the Rubin Museum on June 9. He will be speaking after the showing of a film on "Art and Creativity" which features the Lama and a Pueblo Indian sculptress. The Lunch Matters program begins at 1 PM and goes through 2:30. The Museum is at W. 17th Street and 7th Ave.
Hope to see some of you there.
Contributed by Helene Finizo June 2010:
Balance of Energies: Embracing All of Who We Are
This world has an amazing spectrum of infinite colors across the landscape. Each moment is a teacher. Every breath is an honor. The colors of our moments are like the colors of our breath, teaching us about the world we live in and who we are in this lifetime.
The Lovelight Community promotes the fostering of loving energy across the globe. Does this then mean that we are against “negative emotions”?
First, what is a negative emotion? According to Webster’s Dictionary, if something is negative it is, “reckoned in a direction opposite to that regarded as positive.” If we accept even the possibility that every moment is here to teach us as we step more fully into the divine loving and joyous creatures we have come to this Earth to Be, then every emotion that may have been regarded as “negative” also has a positive aspect as it lends itself to the growth and development of our lives.
Emotions at large are predominantly understood and experienced in the ways that we choose to interpret them. Rarely do I hear people acknowledging the fact that we have a choice in every moment how we relate to our own internal emotional experience. For example, if we get excited, the increase in central and peripheral nervous system activity looks very similar when someone is stimulated in a way that feels intellectually heightening, sexually enlivening, emotionally exhilarating, or on the other end of the emotional spectrum fear-inducing, anxiety-propelling or even panic-creating. Heart rate increased, blood pressure goes up, electrical signals are carried through similar areas in the brain. How we relate to these physiological changes often sets off a domino effect that triggers the release of “happy” brain chemicals vs. “not-so-happy” brain chemicals.
When we choose to look at something as “negative”, or bad for us, we generally start to “shut down”, bringing our attention into a more narrow perspective. We can become focused on minor details, or a small scope of vision, that frankly may be missing large chunks of pertinent information. Again, if we look at what happens physically, we see less neurological (brain-based) activity in self-reported negative emotional experiences. However, if we think positively, using our experiences as points of value, we step into a process Barbara Fredrickson calls, “Broadening and Building,” where we actually use more areas of the brain, have greater creativity in strategic thinking ability, promote greater awareness and wisdom and gain physical benefits through the process. (For more on this see http://www.unc.edu/peplab/broaden_build.html)
If we can try out a mental perspective, even for just a few minutes, where we look to ALL EMOTIONAL EXPERIENCES AS GIFTS OF AWARENESS OF THIS LIFETIME, HERE TO HEAL US AND SUPPORT THE EXPRESSION OF OUR VITALITY AND LIFE FORCE ENERGY, perhaps we can learn to relate to all internal experiences as gifts.
In so doing, fear is transformed into useful information that can lead us more directly towards what we would most love. When we know what we don’t want, we have more information to figure out what we DO want. When we can shift even further from what we “want” all the way to what we would “love” our lives begin to show us the incredible flow love-based connections as they promote the co-creation of our future.
Every moment is a teacher, every breath is a gift. What are you choosing into today?
Meditation Success Story of the Month: (Brett Cotter)
I was not having success finding a "real" job as my son's birth approached. I felt betrayed and was very angry with God. I meditated on these feelings and was immediately transported to a hillside where I was protecting my family, fighting hundreds of people running up the hill. In a moment of clarity, I decided to no longer fight. My physical body was killed immediately falling to the ground, people ran passed me, and my soul calmly walked up the hill towards my family. The moment I laid eyes on my wife and two children their physical bodies fell to the floor as they were killed and their souls stood. I walked to them, took them in my arms, and we lifted to a clear space in a higher realm. One by one we stood before an open vortex where unconditional love pored forth. All the memories of pain were washed away by unconditional love. This meditation was the perfect reminder I needed during that stressful time in my life, just how eternal I am and we all are.
By Wendy Parsons, contributed May 27, 2010
An Invitation to Dance…
“Don’t call this world an explanation, or even an education,” says Mary Oliver, in “Where Does the Dance Begin, Where Does It End?”
Poetry, whether by someone like Mary Oliver who shows us the divine in nature, or Rumi, who shows us the divine in ourselves, is like the world that Mary tells us in her poem is not an explanation or education. It is an invitation – to be shaken awake, to be filled with longing, to shudder in amazement, to dance. And the natural world itself that Mary describes so lovingly in her poems, it, too, is here to enthrall and delight us, and to inspire us to hold up the mirror – to look within for the beauty in ourselves and to recognize and celebrate it in others.
If you grew up in a family where the truth of who you are went unrecognized, or if you were in a marriage where you were seen but not recognized or appreciated for who you truly are, or if you have worked in a job where what you do but not who you are is what your colleagues recognize…perhaps this child’s tale by Hans Christian Anderson will remind you of your own story and encourage you to look deeper for the beauty of your true nature, your soul within you…and inspire you to look carefully and closely for the truth of those around you, and for their beauty, even when they can’t see it themselves. And perhaps, too, it will inspire you to act with compassionate kindness towards someone who is unsure of himself, who is struggling to figure out where he belongs, what to believe or whom to trust, or how to feel comfortable and at home in his own skin. For who among us is so sure he or she has the “right” answers, has found the “right” path, has discovered “the” way to happiness or spiritual bliss? Who is that sure? As you will see in the story, sometimes it takes launching out into the unknown and enduring all kinds of hardships before you find your own truth. And notice, too, that it is an act of compassion that makes it possible for the ugly duckling in this story to discover his true nature, at last. Even if you find yourself in situations that seem comfortable or familiar for a time, it isn’t until true love touches you, holds up that mirror to you that you can at last see where you belong in this world and discover the beauty that has been there all along – your deepest nature, your soul, just waiting to express itself, luminous and beautiful, through you. When love appears at last and inspires you to joy by holding up that mirror, this is your invitation to the dance…and to mirror back the love that has come to you.
The Ugly Duckling
Once upon a time down on an old farm, lived a duck family, and Mother Duck had been sitting on a clutch of new eggs. One nice morning, the eggs hatched and out popped six chirpy ducklings. But one egg was bigger than the rest, and it didn't hatch. Mother Duck couldn't recall laying that seventh egg. How did it get there? TOCK! TOCK! The little prisoner was pecking inside his shell. "Did I count the eggs wrongly?" Mother Duck wondered. But before she had time to think about it, the last egg finally hatched. A strange looking duckling with gray feathers that should have been yellow gazed at a worried mother. The ducklings grew quickly, but Mother Duck had a secret worry.
"I can't understand how this ugly duckling can be one of mine!" she said to herself, shaking her head as she looked at her last born. Well, the gray duckling certainly wasn't pretty, and since he ate far more than his brothers, he was outgrowing them.
As the days went by, the poor ugly duckling became more and more unhappy. His brothers didn't want to play with him, he was so clumsy, and all the farmyard folks simply laughed at him. He felt sad and lonely, while Mother Duck did her best to console him.
"Poor little ugly duckling!" she would say. "Why are you so different from the others?" And the ugly duckling felt worse than ever. He secretly wept at night. He felt nobody wanted him.
"Nobody loves me, they all tease me! Why am I different from my brothers?"
Then one day, at sunrise, he ran away from the farmyard. He stopped at a pond and began to question all the other birds. "Do you know of any ducklings with gray feathers like mine?" But everyone shook their heads in scorn. "We don't know anyone as ugly as you." The ugly duckling did not lose heart, however, and kept on making inquiries. He went to another pond, where a pair of large geese gave him the same answer to his question. What's more, they warned him: "Don't stay here! Go away! It's dangerous. There are men with guns around here!" The duckling was sorry he had ever left the farmyard.
Then one day, his travels took him near an old countrywoman's cottage. Thinking he was a stray goose, she caught him. "I'll put this in a hutch. I hope it's a female and lays plenty of eggs!" said the old woman, whose eyesight was poor.
But the ugly duckling laid not a single egg. The hen kept frightening him. "Just wait! If you don't lay eggs, the old woman will wring your neck and pop you into the pot!" And the cat chipped in: "Hee! Hee! I hope the woman cooks you, then I can gnaw at your bones!" The poor ugly duckling was so scared that he lost his appetite, though the old woman kept stuffing him with food and grumbling: "If you won't lay eggs, at least hurry up and get plump!"
"Oh, dear me!" moaned the now terrified duckling. "I'll die of fright first! And I did so hope someone would love me!"
Then one night, finding the hutch door ajar, he escaped. Once again he was all alone. He fled as far away as he could, and at dawn, he found himself in a thick bed of reeds. "If nobody wants me, I'll hide here forever." There was plenty of food, and the duckling began to feel a little happier, though he was lonely. One day at sunrise, he saw a flight of beautiful birds wing overhead. White, with long slender necks, yellow beaks and large wings, they were migrating south. "If only I could look like them, just for a day!" said the duckling, admiringly.
Winter came and the water in the reed bed froze. The poor duckling left home to seek food in the snow. He dropped exhausted to the ground, but a farmer found him and put him in his big jacket pocket. "I'll take him home to my children. They'll look after him. Poor thing, he's frozen!" The duckling was showered with kindly care at the farmer's house.
In this way, the ugly duckling was able to survive the bitterly cold winter. However, by springtime, he had grown so big that the farmer decided: "I'll set him free by the pond!" That was when the duckling saw himself mirrored in the water. "Goodness! How I've changed! I hardly recognize myself!"
The flight of swans winged north again and glided on to the pond. When the duckling saw them, he realized he was one of their kind, and soon made friends.
"We're swans like you!" they said, warmly. "Where have you been hiding?"
"It's a long story," replied the young swan, still astounded. Now, he swam majestically with his fellow swans. One day, he heard children on the river bank exclaim: "Look at that young swan! He's the finest of them all!"
And he almost burst with happiness.
A poem given to me by Charlie Hess:
For a New Beginning
In out-of-the-way places of the heart,
Where your thoughts never think to wander,
This beginning has been quietly forming,
Waiting until you were ready to emerge.
For a long time it has watched your desire,
Feeling the emptiness growing inside you,
Noticing how you willed yourself on,
Still unable to leave what you had outgrown.
It watched you play with the seduction of safety
And the gray promises that sameness whispered,
Heard the waves of turmoil rise and relent,
Wondered would you always live like this.
Then the delight, when your courage kindled,
And out you stepped onto new ground,
Your eyes young again with energy and dream,
A path of plenitude opening before you.
Though your destination is not yet clear
You can trust the promise of this opening:
Unfurl yourself into the grace of beginning
That is at one with your life's desire.
Awaken your spirit to adventure;
Hold nothing back, learn to find ease in risk;
Soon you will be hoe in a new rhythm,
For your soul senses the world that awaits you.
--John O'Donohue
Contributed by Helene Finizio May 26, 2010:
There are times in our lives that ask us to sit in a place we think we do not want to be in. We look around the room of this place, with walls of variegated form, and wonder how often a door will appear to let us break free of our storm. We look and hunt and search and toil, hoping for the finest exit to the roughest entry.
But if we can rest here, rest in this place, we might just be able to see how comfortable our soul was all along, that the discomfort of this room was only the misplaced perception on the mundanity of emotional cognitive responding. We are larger beings than the size of our brains, and we encapsulate this knowledge of the greater process when we are able to sit in these rooms without a care in the world, knowing it is all part of our process in this lifetime of our incarnations.
So how do we remember this when we sit in these rooms of concern and despair? How do we remind ourselves of that which we always have known? That all of the challenges and troubles of this world are as transient as all that is in this world, and that we are here for the joy and discovery of the process of being human! Yes, of being human in every way that there is to explore in this life.
How do we remember this?
We tell others. We tell others often and without hesitation. If we simply get into the habit of sharing this wisdom openly, sharing in the education of our brothers and sisters here in this place, we are always and in every way reliving our truth as we share it. The highest vibration is not a dot, it is a wavelength within and between the all-that-is. We are not dots. We do not live in a dot-versus-dot universe. We live in a universe where the dots that resonate with one another are given the bounty of energetic blissfulness encapsulated in the motion of a wave. The crystals of light sparkle dazzlingly across the horizon as particles, people, perceptions, phenomenology of here and now, come together in a unity of love on parade.
We are here to hold one another’s hands. We are here to learn how to forgive ourselves and our brothers and sisters as we crawl back into the knowing of Knowings from which we all sprang. We are here together, so we are here to do this, together.
Knowledge is not a zero sum game. It is not a limited resource where if one gains access, there may be a negative repercussion for another. We All Win This Game When We Join Together. We are harmony embodied, and as we look for the song of life moving smoothly, we fill in the gap of the caverns between us.
Life is here for the love of play. Joy is the essence of our natural vibration. Abraham and Esther have teamed up to prepare you for a new type of awareness, a new knowledge. Eckhart Tolle has prepared you to see the New Earth as it is being actively created. I am here to help to show you my way in understanding the all-that-is, and I hope that it is a sharing of knowledge that helps all those who are a part of the creation of a new day.
Events (posted May 15, 2010):
Potluck dinner in the Princeton, NJ area on May 28th at 6:30 PM, an "intro to Stay Inspired". Kick off your Memorial Day weekend in an inspirational way! Families and friends welcomed.
June 4th NYC, 6:30 PM, Mind Map group meeting and potluck
For more details and rsvp (for any/all of the above),
email us at noemi.stay.inspired (at) gmail.com
(as you can tell, cooking and sharing food is a great way to serve spirit!)
Noemi
Some good news contributed by Noemi de la Puente (Executive Director), May 7, 2010:
Click the above link to read about an inspired Ophthamologist (Dr. Bryant Lum) who did cataract surgery on a man for free, because it would change the man's life. The doctor noted that he did hundreds of these operations a year, "what's one more?" Thank you Dr. Lum for being a great example of serving spirit!
If you want more "antidotes" to the nightly news, try www.Charityfocus.organd subscribe to their Daily Good, or www.Karmatube.org. The story above was featured in the Daily Good, but I first heard about it because the doctor is my friend's uncle. Another antidote: make it a point to share good news with friends, so we manifest positive action in the world. Have fun!
A newsletter created by Stay Inspired Community member Helene Finizio:
Lovelight Community Newsletter
4-20-10
Hello Everyone!
Welcome to the first ever Lovelight Community Newsletter! Our community is a diverse group of loving, creative, unique individuals who strive to live the best life possible for the Greatest Good of Self as Connect to the Greatest Good of All. We are people from all walks of life, all shapes and sizes, who feel moved to connect with positive, forward-thinking peers in co-creating the world we would most love to share.
This newsletter is dedicated to Your Needs! Topics will range from advice on meditation in even the busiest of schedules to tips for diet and exercise that promote optimal well-being, along with information for those of us interested in broadening our conscious awareness of this amazing infinite Universe of ours, in all sorts of ways.
As founder of both Helene Finizio Coaching and The Lovelight Community, I see my life as one of service as we all enter into this dawning Age of Light. The time has come where people are learning about the energetic nature of our world, and beyond, opening doors to new ways of Being that allow for greater harmony, greater happiness, greater self-and-other awareness, greater collaboration and greater awareness of Who We Truly Are, beautiful and loving spirits-made-manifest with infinite opportunities in the here and now. We freely choose who we are in each and every moment. We freely choose how we relate to all that we experience. In growing our connections with one another, we gain even greater freedom in our awareness of how much choice we truly have.
This life is an opportunity to learn about love. I invite you all to join me as I do my part to help the dawning of this new era; one in which every gift of the psyche is honored; one in which judgments are suspended when love can be offered; one in which we treat one another with the care we always hoped for our selves. Everyone who reads this newsletter is participating. Members of our community will create, inspire, teach, learn, explore, share, dance, rest, Know in the ways we are each meant to Know the presence of love and light in our world.
The writings found here are team efforts. I have been working with teachers on so many levels and feel honored and humbled to offer what I may as a voice for the community. I would love to acknowledge the divine guidance I feel as I write these words now.
There is so much Love and Light here for us all, right now, today. Can we share in this experience as we co-create a Bright New Day?
from The Holy Man’s Journey by Susan Trott, Riverhead Books, 1997, chapter 22:
At the airport, Anna saw three beggar women sitting together. One was blind, one had no arms, one had shriveled legs and sat in a cart.
“Can we do anything for those poor women?” Anna asked Joe.
“No. But they can do something for us. Come on.”
Joe and Anna went over to the threesome. Joe greeted them in English and they responded in kind.
“Can we show you around?” the blind woman asked.
“Can I carry your luggage?” asked the armless one.
“Run any errands for you?” asked the woman with crippled legs.
Joe gave money to the blind woman, whose fingers delicately passed over the notes as if she could determine the denomination thereby. “We want to have some kerchiefs made up for the children in the park like the ones Anna and I are wearing. Go to the cloth store”, he told the blind woman, “and pick out the prettiest material.”
He turned to the armless one. “Cut the material into squares this size. We will want about twenty of them.” Joe took off his kerchief and showed the size.
To the shrivelled-legged woman, he said, “Run the squares of cloth over to the seamstress’s shop and have her hem them for us. For these purposes, use the money I have given you and please keep the change.”
“Very good,” they all agreed. “We will have them here for you at the airport upon your return.”
Joe and Anna left them to check in for their flight. “So, you see,” Joe said, “they are not beggars. They are a corporation. Three individuals united in one body. They are a constant reminder to me not to try to do (or be) everything to myself, to admit there are some things I cannot do and for which I must ask others for help.
“Because, when you ask someone for help, you give them a chance to help. You make them feel worthy. These three women would be helpless without each other, but together they are as sound as you or me.
“They survive not by being helped by each other but by helping each other. Then, having formed the corporation, they make a living by helping others.”
“I am terrible at asking for help,” Anna admitted.
“Because you are in a helping profession and a helper at heart. Would you please carry my bag over to that bench? It is getting too heavy for me.”
“Sure,” Anna said, taking up the shabby old carpet bag that probably contained one more robe and his toilet articles and a book of poetry.
When they were seated, Anna thought for a while, then took a bundle from her pack along with her Swiss Army knife. “I bought some food for us while you were at the park. Um…would you please prepare lunch for us?”
“Happily,” said the holy man. “Very good, Anna,” he added.
* * *
Also from Betsy Robinson:
Since I got laid off from my job as a managing editor at a magazine, I’ve been searching for work, and it suddenly occurred to me that I could search with more satisfaction if I had a goal, other than getting a job — a goal I could achieve. Ergo, I’ve begun posting all kinds of tips on Facebook: money sources, jobs, interesting resources, etc. for writers, readers, and people in the arts and entertainment industries. I’ve been finding all kinds of interesting stuff, and having a place to put it for people’s benefit gives me a sense of accomplishment.
Putting out an intention is different from having an expectation. The two are important to distinguish, as one serves you more than the other. Your intention is a way of being. An expectation is generally attached to how or when a specific outcome might manifest. The example that comes to mind is the labyrinth (ancient configuration for a walking meditation) that my housemate and I conceived and intended for the meadow behind the house. Had we had an expectation, and a big plan, for how and when it would be constructed, we would have missed the miracles that started to unfold when we started talking about our intention and desired outcome with others. The wood chips were gifted and delivered in abundance. Someone contributed a bench made out of a fallen tree. Needed bricks hiding on a corner of the property were spotted. A neighbor knew where to get a rope for marking the path. Actually, it was a life-changing event to watch this labyrinth, which apparently wanted to come to life, manifest in three weeks. I hesitate to think how my expectations of how this should have proceeded might have interfered with the mysterious natural process.
from Why Not Do What You Love? by Martha Johnson, pages 89, 90
By Joanie Brady:
Capturing stories of inspired lives:
Daphna Michaelson devoted 52 weeks to visiting all 50 states, looking for people who were doing good in their communities, and capturing their stories on video. She was inspired to start the Journey Institute, helping people do positive things.
Follow the link below to find a wonderful example of the ripple effect at a diner in Philadelphia. It took everyone by surprise, and set off a wonderful chain of giving:
Contributed by Cynthia Yoder, after a Mind Map guided by Juanita Yoder:
(September/October 2009)
A Dragonfly Says YES!
Mind‐mapping with Juanita
Since it was a gorgeous day, at the last minute Juanita suggested that we sit on her patio to do the mind map. It turned out to be a serendipitous decision. We started by sitting in silence. When we emerged from this silence, Juanita asked me what it was that I wanted to address in this session, and I started by talking about a question regarding my service in the world. The question of how to serve was the focal point of a drumming meditation with two friends just the day before, and it was still a question in my mind. I told Juanita that I was having a hard time focusing on my next course of action, as so many ideas seemed to float through my mind. Generally, I have a sense of my work as being a core grouping of writing, teaching, and singing/sound healing.
In deep listening, Juanita suggested that I write “Action” in the center of the page, since the doing seemed to be the primary question here. As we spoke, and listened and I followed Juanita’s promptings to put on the page the things that were coming through my lips, several sections developed. There was a section on grounded action in the world. And other section on gathering people. There was the word “Tribe” that signifies for me the gathering of disparate people for a common purpose, as well as “women’s awakening,” which keeps coming to me in that phrasing. Sound healing and coaching (my current work) also found a place on the map. All of the various ideas and impressions that have often been a source of confusion for me were coming together in cohesive sctions, lists within sections, and lines connecting the various sections. Juanita offered a whole range of markers to choose from, so there were some ideas that got linked through their color.
As we continued to talk, with Juanita asking pointed questions, it came out that I felt that a couple of important containers in my life had been “shattered” by death or loss. At Juanita’s prompting, I wrote down “shattered” in dotted lines, to signify the lack of form that shattering takes. Juanita made some observation about this, and in the middle of her observation, I could see, with intense clarity of vision, (though it was an inner seeing not an outer seeing), a center, a gathering place that was both energetic and physical. The center was formed with this vessel (“Cynthia”) being a primary instrument. It was such a bright seeing that it struck an emotional chord. I told Juanita what I saw, and she brought my attention to a place on the map where I could write this down.
I wrote, “Center” and under that, “Place for people’s energy to be held” and then “spiritual container” and “physical container.” This sense of creating a center has been with me for well over six years. I said that of course I need to start where I am, which is smaller scale – starting with gathering people. Juanita suggested that I write this down. I chuckled as I wrote down “Start Where” and then on the next line, “I Am,” as I Am has been one of my favorite namings of the Divine. After much writing, and listening, and talking, we seemed to be winding down. I was delighted at the process and how seemingly effortlessly the picture of my next steps seemed to come into view, as well as a larger, long‐term picture or impression.
Then a visitor came. Early in the process, I told Juanita that while I’d gotten some impressions before of what was coming down the pike for me, I struggled with this notion of there being work that we are “supposed to” do here. I wondered if that went contrary to the world of Spirit being a field of possibility, which I also believe. I wrote down, “supposed to” with a large question mark behind it. At the very end, when we were looking at the map and nodding and saying, “Hm, wow,” this is when our visitor came. The visitor took the form of a dragonfly, that circled and landed right in the dead center of the page, on the word “Action.” I looked up at Juanita, and our eyes were equally wide. It was too perfect to be true. Dragonflies are often seen as messengers of the Spirit. I felt so blessed by this appearance. I began to draw a dragonfly where it had landed, to honor its contribution.
But there was more. The dragonfly flew away, and circling back, it landed again on the word, “Reassemble.” I had told Juanita that when I was younger, I was very active in the world, but that I had a lot of ego attached to my actions. In the past numerous years, I have been practicing receptivity as a precursor to correct action. I felt, I told her, that this period of my life was about reassembling the action, and acting from a place of deeper listening. The dragonfly landing on those two points was such a confirmation. But the dragonfly was not done.
As if to say, “Hey, you got it, but you don’t really get it,” the dragon fly left and then returned to land on the section “drawing together – gathering for a larger purpose,” exactly on a lightning bolt at the tip of that section. Then it lifted, and landed on “Sound Healing.” By now, Juanita and I were both in tears, and laughing and shaking our heads and throwing up our hands. This little creature, just dancing the way.
One last time, it returned to the map, and landed on the words, ““supposed to.”?” I said to the dragon fly, “Now you’re getting funny.”
Then it lifted, and as I was putting the markers back in their sheath, it flew around us, and Juanita said, “Do you know where it landed?” I said no. “On your back,” she replied. I was wearing a sweatshirt and it had come and landed on my hood.
Strung together, these words that the dragonfly pointed to are, “action – reassemble – draw together – sound healing – ““supposed to”?” I wrote at the bottom, “Then the dragon fly came to say, yes!
So I have my instructions to draw people together, with a focus on sound healing. And to act, yes, but from a reassembled place. Thank you, Juanita, for your service and for following the prompting to sit outside! And thank you, too, Stay Inspired, and Charlie, for offering this deep service to others. I feel so blessed to have received this gift of time and deep, skillful listening. And thank you, Great Spirit, for having such love and humor and grace as to send a dragonfly to banish yet one more corner of doubt in this seeker!
***
Contributed by Richmond Mayo-Smith:
Thoughts on/with Stay Inspired September 5, 6, 7 (2009)
I was given the sense that Stay Inspired is now a being of energy, created by Charlie and others, with which it is possible to converse.
A. In the dawn hours of September 5, I asked Stay Inspired what it wished, and received the reply “Let me run free.”
B. In the dawn hours of September 6. I asked Stay Inspired about its form and received a clear and immediate answer. “A wave.” I interpreted this to be a wave of information and energy in which any individual can participate.
When I asked about its intention, I did not receive such a strong. clear response and felt that my conversations with Charlie played a role in the answer.
The answer I received was “Nourishing those serving in a spirit of love.”
In conversing with Stay Inspired about its structure, these thoughts came forth.
There are no static structures in the Stay Inspired wave, structures are ever changing. It will be refreshing to think of process titles that differ from present job titles (e.g. executive director) Subsequently Charlie gave a good example when he suggested that a friend hold the title “Chief Intention Holder.”)
There will be groups watching process, shining light on how intentions are being manifested as plans. There will be other groups making decisions at the frontiers where the action is taking place. (e.g. the mindmapping group is deciding about what it will do next,)
Boundaries are fluid. Patterns - yes; fixed positions -no.
“Ownership” by all.
A wave of myriad feedback loops in which any one can participate.
An activity will bring together its own group of activists. It is similar to an effective research company where a given project will attract a particular group of individuals to work on the project which will disband when the project is over and form new, different groups around another project.
We should look carefully at the influence of standard forms of organization, e.g. becoming a 501 (c)3
Principles;
These appeared at different times during the conversation.
1. Love is a force in the universe.
2. A universe intelligence exists and we can tap into it.
3. Dark forces can only be transformed where confronted with simplicity and open-heartedness.
4. Truth is something lived in the moment and expressive of an individual’s connection to the whole.
C. In the dawn hours of September 7 Stay Inspired impressed on me that its wave form was gentle, very strong and gentle. The image I had of it being a breaking wave was incorrect. It was more like a large swell on the ocean, lifting and moving forward those engaged in service in the spirit of love.
We thought about the form-fire balance - How would it be kept in good balance?
The responsibility of the council conceived yesterday would be to observe this balance. It would meet to hear what the various groups had been doing and to tune Stay Inspired. (One of my sons is an initiate of a spiritual Master in India and I sense that when he visits this Master he feels that he is being tuned to live more strongly on the path.)
People selected to serve on this council would be vibrationally in tune with Stay Inspired and therefore be able to resonate with activities and help them stay on a Stay Inspired path.
The council would probably try to meet twice a year. Not all members would be able to attend all meetings which is fine because each meeting will be unique.
The term council is understood to mean a council as the Native Americans conceived the group.
* * *
Further thoughts and questions
It is interesting to try to get a sense of how Stay Inspired is now operating and see if that gives us a sense of how it will operate in the future. As I understand it presently there is a group consisting of Charlie and Noemi which coordinates all activities and initiates a few, There is another group working on setting up an investment fund. There are others working on a website, on mindmapping, on mindmapping follow-up, on creating a council. I am not certain where the 501(c)3 effort is now located.
Normally an organization would have a staff and these activities would be organized, overseen and coordinated Presently Charlie is involved in all activities and is thereby the nerve center. As Stay Inspired grows, how do we see it working?
I like this sentence, “A healthy society draws upon the energy and creativity of its members and at the same time provides them with with values, ethics and a shared sense of meaning.” Substitute “Stay Inspired’ for “society” and I think you have a description of what we want to create.
I have received the Tao of Charity Focus. I found this paragraph useful
“Our teams were fluid, decison-making decentralized. Whoever did the job, got to make the decisions. There was an umbrella group for providing advice and ideas and a ‘swat team‘ for trouble shooting.” It was up to the “do-tanks” to ask for help.
I would like to know more about the workings of the umbrella group. At one point Nipun describes how they spent hours figuring out how to use a 16-year old volunteer.
The Charity Focus principles are very practical as guides to decision-making.
I think philosophically Charity Focus would subscribe to the Stay inspired principles. After reading the Tao of Charity Focus, I would add two more. One they state outright.
1. “Instead of scarcity and fear for an uncertain future, we are rooted in abundance and trust.
2. The universe is greatly interconnected and every thought and feeling sent forth affects the universe. (I think this is a key understanding for Charity Focus.)
I think Charity Focus is amazing and I wish I understood more clearly how it works. Nipun is clearly a central figure and who he is does a lot to inspire the organization. I am greatly in favor of decentralized decison-making and I suppose there is no great need for coordinating the different activities. Perhaps the website gives everyone who wants it a sense of what is going on and thereby a sense of the meaning of the organization.
How does Nipun make a living? Is it in return for what he does for Charity Focus?
I feel as though I grew up speaking another language and so I am not at home in understanding living on the net and using it as a coordinating life blood for an organization.
I think we have decided that we are not going to build an organization with a paid staff, so we are going to resemble Charity Focus in depending on volunteer energy.
We have our philosophical principles, or, if that seems to high-brow, we have our picture of how the universe works which frees us up to act in ways the present view of the universe would not countenance.
We are going to be a source of stories to inspire people. What are we floating out there to inspire people to stay inspired. In a Charity Focus example the grandmothers in Nepal were inspired to give vitamin tablets to their grandchildren. What does Stay Inspired offer and how?
I feel Nipun’s answer would be, “Just keep on trucking and see what happens ,’ Again I feel handicapped in having grown up in a prediction and control culture.
Enough. It is all very fascinating to me.
Love, Richmond.
***
Dear Stay Inspired Community:
On Tuesday July 21, 2009, the day of the solar eclipse, David La Chappelle passed away. David was an amazing teacher, and touched many lives, including Charlie and his family. Below I have copied details of a memorial planned in Yosemite (CA), and a blogspot site where you can express your feelings and learn more.
**
From Ananda Foley:
In terms of a memorial, David asked for a party in his honor, in the indigenous tradition of coming together forty days after the release. He understood this time frame to be important in many traditions. In both the New and Old Testament, it was a recorded spiritual practice to fast and pray for 40 days. According to the native Indonesian and Muslim beliefs, the soul of a dead person stays on the earth for 40 days after the death. And according to halakha (Jewish law) abortion is prohibited once 40 days have passed since conception.
David's 40 day gathering will be held August 30th. Save the weekend of August 28 - 30th if possible... landing Friday, spending two nights, departing Sunday. It was his wish for us to come together in Yosemite and he requested at least ten minutes of meditation during the service with a circle for personal sharing from anyone who is called. No details have been set for this, at this point what we have is a date and a place. The rest will be announced as details come into focus. This is open to people who are called to be present. In other words, feel free to forward these dates to others who knew David.
Finally, please see the blogspot site below and upload your dreams if David comes to you, synchronicities and oddities, experiences of letting David go and appreciating his contributions. This is specifically for the things you think of replying to my update emails... I love them, remember I read everything and delight... only problem is no one else gets to read them but me, and there are so many crossovers, "coincidences" and treasures, too many for one girl to keep to her self...
I will offer more personal reflection when the time is right and promise some pictures of David soon.
Know that I feel the distinct presence of David now separate from the distinct being that was his body. They are separate presences now, shown to me so clearly last night as I sat at his side. His body is a shell, a beautiful shell...
I hope you'll read on...
Lovingly, Ananda
**
From Karen Hoskin:
Please visit www.celebratingdavid.blogspot.com. If you have any trouble reaching the site, try dropping out the "www." from the address and entering http://celebratingdavid.blogspot.com instead. This seems to be a browser specific problem. We will keep this site updated as we can. You may sign up to be a follower and you will receive information by email as people add to the site and post photos, etc. Please, for Ananda, I hope you will begin to post the thoughts and messages that you may be unable right now to share in person or by phone. Hopefully this tool will be easy enough to use.
Also, please forward this information along to anyone who may not have made it onto this list.
Thank you,
Karen Hoskin
Silverton, Colorado
**
Cards and notes can be sent to Ananda at:
Ananda Foley / PO. Box 542
Silverton, CO 81433
July 17, 2009
Invitation to unique Exhibition - a scholarship winning photographer documents the reconstruction of the WTC.
Vicky Roy is a street child from India picked up by the Salam Balak Trust in New Delhi. He has an interest in photography that was nurtured by the trust His photographs won him a scholarship from the Maybach Foundation to work on the photo documentation of the reconstruction of the WTC. His life is truely inspiring.
I am sending you this invite to pass it on to any members from the Stay Inspired/Charity Focus team who might be interested in the exhibition. This would give true life "slumdog photographer" some fond memories to take home with him from NYC.
Warm Regards,
Indrani
Article on July 6th, 2008 "Staying Inspired..." Event, written by Stephanie Brown, intern at Tonic Media:
Earlier this week Stay Inspired hosted a panel discussion at Gallery 138 in Chelsea, New York.The purpose of this gathering was about, you guessed it, staying inspired.Everyone loves those thought-provoking and action-evoking epiphanies but all too often life’s obstacles get in the way.As one of the evening’s attendants put it “sometimes you have to deal with being hit by a Mack truck before you can transcend being hit by a Mack truck.”
Stay Inspired’s Executive Director Noemi de la Puente introduced the panel, which was filled with amazing individuals who have proved how possible, even simple, it can be to keep that inspiration going.Moderated by Charlie Hess, founder of Stay Inspired, the group dialogue was lead by Nipun Mehta of Charity Focus (http://www.charityfocus.org/new/), Jullien Gordon, Purpose Finder at the Driving School for Life (http://drivingschool.mvmt.com/), Laura Simms, an distinguished storyteller and activist (http://www.laurasimms.com/) and Brookie Maxwell an artist and activist (http://gallery138.com/maxwell.html).
In a sense of ‘to each his own,’ these panelists shared how they find inspiration in different forms. To help start things off Charlie Hess looked to his friend, yoga master Jayadeva to see how he stays inspired.After some thought Jayadeva came back with wise words about being clear about your intentions and being in good company.For Charlie, mind-mapping (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_map) and jotting down notes about “what went well” after each day help keep his inspiration going.Nipun believes being around change can be incredibly powerful and inspiration enough to eventually be that change.The recent recipient of two masters degrees from Stanford University in California, Jullien Gordon, was next. He spoke about taking pictures of images in advertisements solely for the positive messages and his love of pot-lucks as a way to connect with people.In true storyteller form Laura chose to share tales of a homeless woman returning Laura’s dropped change and the forgiveness she experienced among Sierra Leone amputee victims; that she is so renowned is no mystery.For Maxwell “it was always Africa.”Her work with Facing History and Ourselves (http://www.facinghistory.org/) and art shows on genocide prevention exemplify her belief that the presence of African culture will grow America.As she eloquently put it “the daring activity of being present radiates inspiration.”
As any true dialogue goes the audience’s input was welcome and abundant; the beautiful stories of small- or large-scale successes and even a song or two were bound to lighten your mood.And if this somehow wasn’t enough, you could find your inspiration via sweet tooth with the dove and hand shaped cookies attached to inspirational messages.
***
What's New With Stay Inspired:
Dear Stay Inspired Community:
To those of you who attended the July 6th panel discussion on "Staying Inspired" - thank you for making the event a wonderful community gathering, and sharing your enthusiasm. Special shout out to our hostess Brookie Maxwell, and the Gallery 138 Interns for all your logistical help, and to our panelists Nipun Mehta, Jullien Gordon, Laura Simms, and Brookie for inspiring us with stories, adventures, and tried and true practical advice.
For those of you who were not able to make the event - writer Betsy Robinson has a great summary of the event on her blog: http://www.betsyrobinson-writer.com/blog.htm?post=611186. I also posted it on the Stay Inspired blog (follow www.stayinspired.net).
"Inspiration is a contact sport" as one participant said, so let's keep contacting! Take care,
Noemà de la Puente Executive Director, Stay Inspired
As many of you know, Charlie had musicians Marilyn Strong and Steven "Muddy Roues" perform at the Stay Inspired event that was held at the Tibet Center in New York City this year. Here is a wonderful newly released video of Steven playing harmonica with the great BB King.
From Rigpa.org Daily Glimpse:
June 15, 2009: The teachings of all the great mystical paths of the world make it clear that there is within us an enormous reservoir of power, the power of wisdom, and compassion, the power of what Christ called the Kingdom of Heaven. If we learn how to use it - and this is the goal of the search for enlightenment - it can transform not only ourselves but the world around us. Has there ever been a time when the clear use of this sacred power was more essential or more urgent? Has there ever been a time when it was more vital to understand the nature of this pure power and how to channel it and how to use it f or the sake of the world?
From Richmond Mayo-Smith: On keeping ourselves held to positive standards, and not buying into lowered expectations. Dana (Donella) Meadows unfortunately died in 2001. She was a wonderful person who did many wonderful things. Among her many skills, she was a systems thinker. A friend has now taken her draft book and edited it and published it as Thinking in Systems. On pages 121-123 she writes about "Drift to Low Performance." In a normal feedback loop, if there is a discrepancy between a performance goal and an actual state, action is taken. This is an ordinary feedback loop that should keep performance at the desired level. But in a drift-to-low-performance system, "there is a distinction between the actual system state and the perceived state. The actor tends to believe bad news more than good news (Dana's emphasis). As actual performance varies, the best results are dismissed as aberrations, the worst results stay in the memory. The actor thinks things are worse than they actually are. "And to complete this tragic archetype, the desired state of the system is influenced by the perceived state (Dana's emphasis). Standards aren't absolute. When perceived performance slips, the goal is allowed to slip. 'Well that's about all you can expect.' 'Well, we're not doing much worse than last year.' "The balancing feedback loop that should keep the system state at an acceptable level is overwhelmed by a reinforcing feedback loop heading downhill. The lower the perceived system state, the lower the desired state. The lower the desired state, the less the discrepancy, and the less corrective action is taken. The less the corrective action, the lower the system state. If this loop is allowed to continue, it can lead to continuous degradation in the system's performance". On page 123, Dana describes the Way Out as "Keep performance standards absolute. Even better, let standards be enhanced by the best actual performance instead of being discouraged by the worst. Use the same structure to set up a drift toward high performance." On pages 184-185 Dana returns to this subject. Indeed she closes her book with this section. I will copy it all. Don't Erode the Goal of Goodness. The most damaging example of the systems archetype called "drift to low performance" is the process by which modern industrial culture has eroded the goal of morality. The workings of the trap have been classic and awfult to behold. Examples of bad human behavior are held up, magnified by the media, affirmed by the culture as typical. This is just what you would expect. After all, we're only human. The far more numerous examples of human goodness are barely noticed. They are "not news." They are exceptions. Must have been a saint. Can't expect everyone to behave like that. And so expectations are lowered. The gap between desired behavior and actual behavior narrows. Fewer actions are taken to affirm and instill ideals. The public discourse is full of cynicism. Public leaders are visibly, unrepentantly amoral or immoral and not held to account. Idealism is ridiculed. Statements of moral belief are suspect. It is much easier to talk about hate in public than to talk about love. The literary critic and naturalist Joseph Wood Krutch put it this way. Thus though man has never before been so complacent about what he has, or so confident of his ability to do whatever he sets his mind upon, it is at the same time true that he never before accepted so low an estimate of what he is. That same scientific method which enabled him to create his wealth and to unleash the power he wields has, he believes, enabled biology and psychology to explain him away - or at least explain away whatever used to seem unique or even in any way mysterious....Truly he is, for all his wealth and power, poor in spirit. We know what to do about drift to low performance. Don't weigh the bad news more heavily than the good. And keep standards absolute. Systems thinking can only tell us what to do. It can't do it. We're back to the gap between understanding and implementation, Systems thinking by itself cannot bridge that gap, but it can lead us to the edge of what analysis can do and then point beyond - to what can and must be done by the human spirit. ***** ps For the past few weeks NBC has been ending its 6:30 pm news show by telling its audience about some positive action. It is very rewarding. From Richmond Mayo-Smith: On keeping ourselves held to positive standards, and not buying into lowered expectations. Dana (Donella) Meadows unfortunately died in 2001. She was a wonderful person who did many wonderful things. Among her many skills, she was a systems thinker. A friend has now taken her draft book and edited it and published it as Thinking in Systems. On pages 121-123 she writes about "Drift to Low Performance." In a normal feedback loop, if there is a discrepancy between a performance goal and an actual state, action is taken. This is an ordinary feedback loop that should keep performance at the desired level. But in a drift-to-low-performance system, "there is a distinction between the actual system state and the perceived state. The actor tends to believe bad news more than good news (Dana's emphasis). As actual performance varies, the best results are dismissed as aberrations, the worst results stay in the memory. The actor thinks things are worse than they actually are. "And to complete this tragic archetype, the desired state of the system is influenced by the perceived state (Dana's emphasis). Standards aren't absolute. When perceived performance slips, the goal is allowed to slip. 'Well that's about all you can expect.' 'Well, we're not doing much worse than last year.' "The balancing feedback loop that should keep the system state at an acceptable level is overwhelmed by a reinforcing feedback loop heading downhill. The lower the perceived system state, the lower the desired state. The lower the desired state, the less the discrepancy, and the less corrective action is taken. The less the corrective action, the lower the system state. If this loop is allowed to continue, it can lead to continuous degradation in the system's performance". On page 123, Dana describes the Way Out as "Keep performance standards absolute. Even better, let standards be enhanced by the best actual performance instead of being discouraged by the worst. Use the same structure to set up a drift toward high performance." On pages 184-185 Dana returns to this subject. Indeed she closes her book with this section. I will copy it all. Don't Erode the Goal of Goodness. The most damaging example of the systems archetype called "drift to low performance" is the process by which modern industrial culture has eroded the goal of morality. The workings of the trap have been classic and awful to behold. Examples of bad human behavior are held up, magnified by the media, affirmed by the culture as typical. This is just what you would expect. After all, we're only human. The far more numerous examples of human goodness are barely noticed. They are "not news." They are exceptions. Must have been a saint. Can't expect everyone to behave like that. And so expectations are lowered. The gap between desired behavior and actual behavior narrows. Fewer actions are taken to affirm and instill ideals. The public discourse is full of cynicism. Public leaders are visibly, unrepentantly amoral or immoral and not held to account. Idealism is ridiculed. Statements of moral belief are suspect. It is much easier to talk about hate in public than to talk about love. The literary critic and naturalist Joseph Wood Krutch put it this way. Thus though man has never before been so complacent about what he has, or so confident of his ability to do whatever he sets his mind upon, it is at the same time true that he never before accepted so low an estimate of what he is. That same scientific method which enabled him to create his wealth and to unleash the power he wields has, he believes, enabled biology and psychology to explain him away - or at least explain away whatever used to seem unique or even in any way mysterious....Truly he is, for all his wealth and power, poor in spirit. We know what to do about drift to low performance. Don't weigh the bad news more heavily than the good. And keep standards absolute. Systems thinking can only tell us what to do. It can't do it. We're back to the gap between understanding and implementation, Systems thinking by itself cannot bridge that gap, but it can lead us to the edge of what analysis can do and then point beyond - to what can and must be done by the human spirit. ***** ps For the past few weeks NBC has been ending its 6:30 pm news show by telling its audience about some positive action. It is very rewarding.
Stay Inspired engages with those bold enough to act on their awareness that we are all deeply interconnected.
It pursues ways to nurture and connect such people so that their lives may inspire others to awaken their fire for spirit–enriched lives.
Stay Inspired is grounded in an understanding that the universe is intelligent and that we are part of an amazing web of beauty and abundance.
Contact- noemi.stay.inspired (at) gmail.com
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