heathervescent

Reminders from the world

I found this written on the whiteboard of a local (Albany, CA) high school circa 2003 or 2004.

How to live a Happy Stress free Life

1. Be impeccable with your word   
   Before you speak: Is it true? Is it kind? Is it necessary?
2. Avoid being judgmental   
   Ask questions, express what you really want
3. Give the benefit of the doubt   
   We are all doing the best we can at our level of awareness.
4. Always do your best   
   In doing so, you avoid self judgment, self abuse and regret

 

Level 5 to Infinity

"The battle is not here with your fellow men; but out there, in infinity" - Don Juan

"The only person worth competing with is myself." - moi

Competition. *Sigh.* I know it's suppose to motivate you to do your best, but when it comes to me, I just wanna walk away. I don't care about winning,  I don't want to be the best, when it means that someone is the loser. We don't have the same skill set, levels or perceptions, perspectives, worldview.  I'm interested in yours. Especially if you disagree with me or have a different perspective from mine. I'm already the best Heathervescent.

Competition can make one stretch. Competition can be the fuel for the midnight fires. Competition strips away the fat. Competition is full of pain (to get to 1st place or if you don't). Competition is divided. Collaboration is united. (If you have a very different perspective of competition, pls share with me.)

My favorite collaboration example is the work of Kaliya Hamlin and her work with user-centric identity. I've used many of her methods with the Geek Dinner and LA Barcamps with great success. If you've had a chance to participate in an event Kaliya has influenced, you'll see that it is just slightly different in the activities, but worlds apart in the intent and energy around the event.

At the WFS this past weekend I was disappointed with the use of competition in a couple sessions. Tom Frey announced his DaVinci Institute's Prize Competitions. Usually I love radical audacious ideas, but these rubbed me the wrong way. I didn't see anything in them about fixing the economy - or making the world better for people in the 8 prize competitions. I left the session distressed, confused at the non-practicality.

The next day, the morning session of the WFS Dev Seminar opened with a competition between groups with point scores and a "winner" to create the best scenario with specific data, variables, etc. Yuck! I know the people putting the session together weren't looking for that kind of reaction. They probably picked the competition metaphor to engage and excite people. I sat in the room, with sickness forming in my stomach, wondering if I had made a huge mistake pivoting my career and going into futures work. 

I watched the groups form and work beginning. I sat watching, thinking, this is not that different from what Kaliya does. But why do I want to leave this room, whereas with her sessions I'm signing up to lead and participate? The difference is very slight framing and intent behind the structure.

In Kaliya's sessions, people are working together for a bigger goal, which includes competing businesses, products, architectures, philosophies. Much of this competition falls away when they come together for conversation. It's a group of people with the same long term goals: a vibrant ecosystem that supports many companies, technologies, products. The space is not about competing with each other, it's about working together to create the ecosystem so all can participate. There is no one winner at IIW, if you show up, you win.

Maybe that sounds all pollyanna, let's get along, we're all winners, yay! But consider that maybe some people don't care about winning at the expense of others. 

But the zero-sum competition peppered the experience in the room at the WFS ProDev. I used the law of two feet and eventually left the seminar to check out the Surrealist Art Exhibit at the nearby Vancouver Art museum, which was phenomenal and mind-blowing. I got what I needed out of the session after all.

We're not gonna save the world competing with each other for million dollar prizes. But we could save it by working together.

Necessary, Possible and Beyond

"Start by doing what is necessary,
then by what's possible
and suddenly you are doing the impossible!"
- Plaque above Walter Wong's Desk (the best Saab mechanic in all of LA)

On Enlightenment

“Enlightenment is not something you seek, it’s something you must simply remember.” - Erin Pavlina

Over and over and over. :)

DECIDERATA

DECIDERATA~ Max Ehrmann - 1952

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.

You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive God to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

On Being Better

“No matter how good you are, you’ll never be better than yourself.” – Mr Brian D via Bob Dylan

On Gen X

"I'm a Gen-Xer, I'm jaded about everything."
- the quotable heathervescent

On Mastery, Practice, Training

"At the heart of it, mastery is practice. Mastery is staying on the path"
 - George Leonard

My sometimes Sensai hit the nail on the head there. Here's another saying I like:

"When in times of high intensity, people don't rise to the occasion, they fall back to training."
I think that's from the Military.

To be

“What one can be, one MUST be.”
- Abraham Maslow

On Politics

"Political activism is seductive because it seems to offer the possibility that one can improve society, make things better, without going through the personal ordeal of rearranging one's perceptions and transforming one's self."
-Tom Robbins (via Rob Brezsny)

Happiness?

"And you may be reminded that whoever calls themself happy is completely in error… Just as those who say they are unhappy are quite mistaken too.”
- Paulo Lins (Author of CITY OF GOD)

From JS's site.

A Thought

"I am a blank canvas, and my life is the painting."
- the quotable heathervescent

On Desperation

"Desperation is the raw material of drastic change / dramatic acts. Only those who can leave behind everything they have ever believed in can hope to escape."
- William Burroughs

On Solitude

"We are pioneers, waves that break upon shores unvisited. Enjoy the solitude!"
- Bernard

Tiger

Tiger! Tiger! burning bright 
In the forests of the night: 
What immortal hand or eye 
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

In what distant deeps or skies 
Burnt the fire of thine eyes? 
On what wings dare he aspire? 
What the hand dare seize the fire?

And what shoulder, & what art, 
Could twist the sinews of thy heart? 
And when thy heart began to beat, 
What dread hand? & what dread feet?

What the hammer? what the chain? 
In what furnace was thy brain? 
What the anvil? what dread grasp 
Dare its deadly terrors clasp?

When the stars threw down their spears, 
And water`d heaven with their tears, 
Did he smile his work to see? 
Did he who made the Lamb make thee?

Tiger! Tiger! burning bright 
In the forests of the night: 
What immortal hand or eye 
Could frame thy fearful symmetry?

~William Blake~

On being the Fool

"I must learn to love the fool in me—the one who feels too much, talks too much, takes too many chances, wins sometimes and loses often, lacks self-control, loves and hates, hurts and gets hurt, promises and breaks promises, laughs and cries. It alone protects me against that utterly self-controlled, masterful tyrant whom I also harbor and who would rob me of human aliveness, humility, and dignity but for my fool."

playwright Theodore Rubin

Crazy Making

... isn't sanity really just a one trick pony anyway?!  I mean, all you get is one trick, rational thinking, but when you are good and crazy, oooh, oooh, oooh, the sky is the limit!" -The Tick

To Remember...

"Don't forget you're going to die."
  - John Hawkes

Wise Words

"Fame or integrity: which is more important?
Money or happiness: which is more valuable?
Success or failure: which is more destructive?
If you look to others for fulfillment, you will never truly be fulfilled.
If your happiness depends on money, you will never be happy with yourself.
Be content with what you have; rejoice in the way things are.
When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you."

~ Lao-tzu, 6th century bce Chinese philosopher, founder of Taoism from Tao Te Ching
via Jordan

I'll ponder this as I pop up to Canada for a quick 24 trip.

On Leaders

"Leaders clarify other people's path"
- LA

On Seeing

You see what you want to see. If you don't like what you are seeing,  change what you want to see. Or maybe you are seeing a reflection of yourself. If you don't like that, maybe it's time to change yourself.

Above/Below Mirror Reflections

That which is Below corresponds to that which is Above, and that which is Above, corresponds to that which is Below, to accomplish the miracle of the One Thing.
- Hermes Trismegistus

To see a World in a Grain of Sand
And a Heaven in a Wild Flower:
Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand
And Eternity in an hour.
- William Blake, Auguries of Innocence

---
reminded by Folio of Kiki Smith's Constellation Exhibit from The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.

On Persistence

Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.
- Calvin Coolidge

(not the whole quote, but a nice part)

On Doing

It does not matter what you do, only that you do it. - Ghandi

Inspiring Friends are like Magic

In the past few days, two of my good friends have played or sung Magic by Olivia Newton John. Of course I knew the song. It was popular in the 80s, the 80s, but I hadn't heard it recently. I finally listened to the words and wow! It's an awesome inspiration and has been stuck in my head for the past 3 days. The music is easy like a Sunday morning - so easy listening! A new music mantra.

And the two people who re-introduced me to it are equally awesome and inspiring. Thanks to you both, you know who you are!

Here are the lyrics. Click to listen to free (via Napster)

Come take my hand
You should know me
I've always been in your mind
You know that I'll be kind
I'll be guiding you

Building your dream
Has to start now
There's no other road to take
You won't make a mistake
I'll be guiding you

You have to believe we are magic
Nothin' can stand in our way
You have to believe we are magic
Don't let your aim ever stray
And if all your hopes survive
Your destiny will arrive
I'll bring all your dreams alive
For you

From where I stand
You are home free
The planets align so rare
There's promise in the air
And I'm guiding you

Through every turn I'll be near you
I'll come anytime you call
I'll catch you when you fall
I'll be guiding you

You have to believe we are magic
Nothin' can stand in our way
You have to believe we are magic
Don't let your aim ever stray
And if all your hopes survive
Your destiny will arrive
I'll bring all your dreams alive
For you

It's a whole new game with different stakes, when you dream on a global level. Personal ego has no place when you are a tool of the divine unknown.

Invocation

My first duty is to sacrifice to the gods and pray them to grant me the thoughts, words, and deeds likely to render my command most pleasing to the gods and to bring myself, my friends, and my city the fullest measure of affection and glory and advantage.

 - Heathervescent, adapted from Xenophon, The Cavalry Commander

Nice, Importance

Yesterday in conversation the boyfriend mentioned this quote

It's nice to be important, but it's important to be nice.

That got me thinking. I don't necessarily disagree with the sentiment, but I disagree with the things you might assume because of the sentiment. It's not mutually exclusive to be nice and important. Just because you are important, doesn't mean you can't also be nice. Being nice is not necessarily better or worse than being important. Being nice makes it easier to get along with people and have a better time. It's social lubrication. I also think it helps having a positive outlook - as long as you don't put yourself into the victim role.

Importance is a value judgment. So is being smart. (And so is being nice.) Different people value these characteristics differently. Some see intelligence/smarts as the top of the totem pole. Some people will do anything to be important. But can one say that being important is better/worse than being smart? (or being right?) Well... you could say that - but that's based on your personal judgment and don't be mad when someone has a different point of view.

These are variables. And from one point of view, one variable might seem better then another, but in the grand scheme, there is really no difference - except on the micro level.

Which reminds me of something I've been pondering recently - relativity. I've been thinking about Buckminister Fuller's quote: We are all astronauts aboard a little spaceship called Earth.

Everyday I wake up in the same bed. I live in the same house, I walk my dog on the same streets, I am the same person. It's the same bed, but it's not in the same position. Nothing is fixed - even on terra firma. Everything is changing, moving, I'm moving right now, sitting a my desk in weho wishing for a cup of coffee.

This has little impact on my life. A few days ago I was completely unaware of being on a moving planet through "outer space". But being aware of this constant movement can change the way I think about things and how I interact with people.

Dreaming

We are like the spider.
We weave our life and then move along in it.
We are like the dreamer who dreams and then lives in the dream.
This is true for the entire universe.
- The Upanishads, via David Lynch's new book

On Managing Innovation

From the eTech Innovation prevention, happening right now.
--
William L. McKnight joined Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing Co. in 1907 as an assistant bookkeeper. He quickly rose through the company, becoming president in 1929 and chairman of the board in 1949.

Many believe McKnight's greatest contribution was as a business philosopher, since he created a corporate culture that encourages employee initiative and innovation.

His basic rule of management was laid out in 1948:

"As our business grows, it becomes increasingly necessary to delegate responsibility and to encourage men and women to exercise their initiative. This requires considerable tolerance. Those men and women, to whom we delegate authority and responsibility, if they are good people, are going to want to do their jobs in their own way.

 

"Mistakes will be made. But if a person is essentially right, the mistakes he or she makes are not as serious in the long run as the mistakes management will make if it undertakes to tell those in authority exactly how they must do their jobs.

 

"Management that is destructively critical when mistakes are made kills initiative. And it's essential that we have many people with initiative if we are to continue to grow."

[Source]

Time enough

I *can* move at the speed of light, but from my perspective, I'm standing totally still. Time is just a sequence of ordered events, right? 

There's time enough for everything.

- cdj

On Money

I ended up over at Caterina's blog while researching previous post entries belief set and came across this quote.

Evolutionary psychologist Nigel Barber cites a study where kids were given pens to play with. Surprisingly, those who were rewarded for doing so were less inclined to continue. "The underlying explanation for psychologists is that when you pay somebody to do something ... they get the feeling that they're not doing it because they enjoy it," Barber said.

I guess that explains why I enjoy working on the things that don't pay me more than the things that do pay me. Well, actually that ebbs and flows. But damn this american socialization. Some day, this american ideal will go away.

Respond-Ability

"Between stimulus and response, there is a space.
In that space is our power to choose our response.
In our response lies our growth and our freedom."
- Stolen from the Internet

On Seeing

"We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are."
- Anais Nin

On Possibilities

"the art of the possible"

I had never thought of it as an art. It also reminded me of Uther Doul's possibility machines. And my fascination with the concept.

On Love

"I thought I knew how to love. Don Juan said, 'How could you? They
never taught you about love. They taught you how to seduce, to envy,
to hate. You don't even love yourself- otherwise you wouldn't have
put your body through such barbarities. You don't have the guts to
love like a sorcerer. Could you love forever, beyond death? Without
the slightest reinforcement-nothing in return? Could you love without
investment, for the piss of it? You'll never know what it's like to
love like that, relentlessly. Do you really want to die without
knowing?'"
- Bruce Wagner

Money vs Freedom

If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget ye were our countrymen. -- Samuel Adams

Did you exchange your walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? Do you have the guts to call yourself American? Do you fight for freedom, or prefer complacent consumerism?

Just some light questions to start off Monday morning. ;)

Dreaming Awake

"Jung once told me that he thought the dream was always going on in the unconscious, but that it usually needs sleep and the complete cessation of attention to outer things for it to register in consciousness at all. As a rule, the first step in active imagination is to learn, so to speak, to see or hear the dream while awake."

Reminded via RS.

eye, mind, heart

from stephen king's Gunslinger:

I do not aim with my hand; he who aims with his hand has forgotten the face of his father.  I aim with my eye.
I do not shoot with my hand; he who shoots with his hand has forgotten the face of his father.  I shoot with my mind.
I do not kill with my gun; he who kills with his gun has forgotten the face of his father.  I kill with my heart.

What's Crazy?

"What's crazy is living our lives like we already know what the hell is going on, and nobody can tell us differently. What's crazy is being so indifferent to the mystery of the world around us that we never even bother to explore it. "
- S

Well said!

On winning

"The battle is won in the homework. In the field, it is just actualizing what you put into your mind."
- Barbara Warren, last night at Borders

quote of the day - on transformation

Earth, isn't this what you want: to arise within us Invisible. What if not transformation, is your urgent command?
- Rainer Maria Rilke

on dreaming the big stuff

"We must not be afraid of dreaming the seemingly impossible if we want the seemingly impossible to become a reality."    --Vaclav Havel

--

Ok. Now I go to bed to dream of my seemingly impossible life, that will be my reality in 6 months. As I fall out of my seemingly impossible reality of 6 months of dreaming ago. You know what? I am living my life as I dreampt it 6 months ago. Wow - that's pretty cool.

On Fear

"I must not fear. Fear is the mindkiller. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."

~Frank Herbert, Dune
via yoko

On Life

Words to live by:  "At one point, I thought life was about acquiring things.  Life is totally about losing everything."  - from Mike Tyson after his last fight (via sji up north)

morning quote

"Until you value yourself, you won't value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it."
--M. Scott Peck

a daring adventure

Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.

--Helen Keller

inspiration

"Have you ever thought about the mountain lion and the wolf, and even the smallest and apparently fragile little bird? They don't know where their next meal will come from, neither when and how...yet, they wake up in the morning, happy and confident that... they'll go get it. Why? because that's the nourishment they need to be alive."

Do you want to be tame or wild?

fire quote

Time is a fire that consumes me, but I am the fire.
-- Jorge Luis Borges

reminder on risk

"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." ~ Mark Twain

This is very appropriate as I think about the things I am not so excited about and new possibilities for life. It's a reminder to take risks and jump long and far and to not cut short my dreams.

on being a heretic

"Some scientists tell us that in our own galaxy alone there are probably hundreds of thousands of planets with living beings on them, more or less like those On the earth, and that there are about 100 million galaxies within the range of our telescopes. Man seems to play a very insignificant part in the universe, and my part is surely negligible. The question confronting me is not, except perhaps in idle moments, what part might be more amusing, but what I wish to make of my part. And what I want to do and would advise others to do is to make the most of it: put into it all you have got, and live and, if possible, die with some measure of nobility."
- Walter Kaufman, 1959, The Faith of a Heretic