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creativity

5 Life Pacing Tips- Make Some Life Space #Intimacy

 The Dave Matthews band calls it, "The Space Between." Marketers say, "White space sells." Advertisers refer to "The pause that refreshes." All of these folks and their sayings come to mind when I find myself overwhelmed by the business and intensity of living.

 

Life comes at us pretty hard, sometimes. The multiplying demands of parenting, the self manifesting lists of tasks for work, the bombardment of feelings from our relationships - all take their toll on us. Our lives become crowded. Sometimes we carve out more time by sleeping less. Other times we try to tilt the scales by omitting leisure time and hobbies. These things, these accessories to our living are 'luxuries' after all, right?  Soon we become tired, anxious, angry and hungry for some down time. Devotion to family, church, non-profits, and even our pets tugs at us with passionate attachment.

We all know in our minds that down time brings balance, even serenity to our living, yet... too often we lack the white space between the business and activities that make demands of us. Here's a short list of 5 things we can do to create more white space in our living.

  1. Manage our use of time. When we begin to feel that we don't have enough time in the day, that there is not enough of us to go around, we can remember that there is always 'enough' time. Time doesn't vary. We have 86,400 seconds in every day - everyday. The issue is trying to do too much. Make a list of everything that needs to be done, then organize your day accordingly. Group similar tasks together (computer tasks, errands, phone calls) and then complete similar tasks together. Delegate to someone else what you can (don't be afraid to ask for help from friends, colleagues, even relatives). "To everything there is a season..." -Ecclesiastes 3:1
  2. Plan for your hobbies. Many of us don't think of our 'play' time as important. Carl Jung reportedly spent hours 'playing' during his most difficult periods of his adult life. The solution to our biggest obstacles is often dependent on us allowing our creative minds to play. Make sure that 'play' that you enjoy is on your list. 
  3. Exercise. The spirit may be willing, but if the flesh is weak, stress and fatigue will overcome us. As strange as it seems, the times when we are most 'tired' are often because we have neglected our bodies. Exercise that engages cardio and muscle strength - even in 20-30 minute daily doses will work wonders.
  4. Use advocates. We all have people who understand our need to rest, relax, create, ponder and otherwise have down-time in our lives. If we can get the support of a loving friend to hold us accountable for our self care, we are likely to be more successful. It is easier to say 'no' to one more demand if we have an advocate in our corner. 
  5. Do nothing. There is a Spanish proverb - "How beautiful it is to do nothing, and then to rest afterwards." Plan for some nothing time. A cup of coffee on the back porch. A restful moment before you start your morning commute. Stare at the stars. Stand in the dark and feel yourself breathe. Sit in a chair, close your eyes and listen to music. Heck, even God rested on the 7th day. Make some 7th day time!

Even the language we use only makes sense because of the space bar, the breaks between letters. Having white space in our living helps, too.

 

What more can you add to the list? How do you know it's time to slow down?

 

5 Tricks To Connect With Others, #Intimacy

Truth. We all need human intimacy. Anyone here struggling with the need for balance between quality human connection and fast paced, technology driven day-to-day, get-it-done, one-more world?

What's a human to do?  

 

I've been reminded, of late, of the importance of meaningful human connection. I live with this need everyday. I'm good at that. I tend to connect deeply and meaningfully with others. How do I do it, you might ask? Well, here's 5 tips for making deeper connections with others. Take them. They're free.

 

  1. Set aside technology for the duration of the conversation. Don't allow the distraction of other 'conversations' to insert themselves into your face-to-face time with others. One of my new games is to get all the people present at the lunch, dinner or coffee table to stack their phone face-down in the middle of the table. First one to check the device, buys. 
  2. Look at people's eyes. There is a world in the eye.  It seems that if anyone takes time to look at that particular place on a person's face, they instinctively are more intimately connected.
  3. If you think of someone, reach out to them. Our minds are amazing machines. More than we commonly understand, the mind thinks beyond our consciousnesses. If you find yourself having a thought glimpse on a friend, take it as a cue. Pick up the phone (not email of Facebook) and talk to them. Better yet, set up a time to meet and visit while seeing #1 and #2 above.
  4. Prior to a visit with a friend, ask yourself, "What do I not know about this person?" Make a list of 2-3 things you want to ask them. Of course, then actually ask them.
  5. Write a note...with paper...and pen...and snail-mail it or hand deliver it. There is something substantial and lasting about written on paper communication. the act of inscribing the letters, thinking through your choice of words without the benefit of the backspace key, and holding that complete message in your hands that adds intimacy to the communication. 

Do you have other tips for connecting deeper with people? Are there rituals that dot the landscape of your meaningful relationships that you can share. Please do! 

#Halloween Costume Win!

She arrived simply dressed, and her costume was the hit of the evening as we all took turns guessing her Halloween Self! The guesses were funny, rude, adult, and finally accurate. What was she? 

 

Well you'll need one of these. White Body Suit. 

and you'll need one of these: Clear rain suit. 

And some white shoes...  

And finally... one of these: a blue (or purple) visor. 

And with that, your Halloween costume is complete. So, what are you???!!! Put your guess in the comments, and I'll add the answer later this week!

 

#ConvergeSouth 2013! My Goals

Technology and Marketing conferences are always intense. Both worlds rely heavily on innovation and creativity in the development of technology and thinking.  Conferences, like our local Converge South -this week in Greensboro, NC, offer an abundance of information and ideas, which can, at times be overwhelming. It is part of the Conference experience - to be immersed in a flood of information. Over the years, I've tried to manage this flood by attending conferences with a specific set of goals.  Tomorrow, I will go to Converge South with some simple and manageable goals

 

  1. Have fun.
  2. Meet 4 new people and connect with them under the agenda of following up after the conference. 
  3. Have fun. 
  4. Learn 1 new idea related to how Social Media empowers business to business sales - not just marketing, but how can sales people benefit?
  5. Have fun.
  6. Learn about a new technology or platform to be researched post conference,
  7. Have major fun. 

That's my list... and so it goes.  Do you approach conferences with clearly defined goals? 

 

The Craft of Written Communication - via Helen Keller

I grew up under the heroism of Helen Keller.   The author of over 12 books and an outspoken political activist, Helen Keller was deaf and blind. Her amazing story of self discovery and development was enshrined in the play The Miracle Worker. For my generation, Helen Keller was the incarnation of hope for overcoming even the stiffest of personal obstacles.

A few weeks ago, while on a speaking trip to the Grove Park Inn, I was able to drop by the Biltmore Factory Museum and spotted a preserved  letter pend by Helen Keller. I was moved by both the eloquence of her communication and the poignancy of the life situation from which she wrote. 

 

We just don't value the craft of written communication like we once did.

What does The Fox Say? The TRUTH! #FoxSay

Just to save the world from confusion... THIS is what the Fox says...!

...and if you are wondering why this is an issue... join the 40+ million other people who have been wonderfully mislead... 

Reclaiming Play for Adults

“One of the most obvious facts about grownups to a child is that they have forgotten what it is like to be a child.”
— Randall Jarrell

I know many creative adults, and I think adults – as a whole – get a bad rap. We are creative, fun, innovative and playful creatures. The idea that adults, by virtue of their age and place in society, have lost the desire or ability to be playful and creative is bunk. Bunk I say! B-U-N-K!

Even the most conservative minded business professionals I know are ready to laugh and dream if given a moment to do so. Perhaps it is the fact that children who grow up must develop some ability to set aside play and work through periods of methodical and measurable activity that is seen and misunderstood as losing the child-like gleam of creativity. Just because we can suspend fantasy doesn't mean we have lost it – or its power.  

It isn't that adults are not willing or able to play. In fact it may just not be a smart time to lay aside work and reason for fancy.  

The challenge, for us as adults, isn't so much to learn how to play. Our challenge is learning when to play and when to work – and even that statement isn't right because good creativity is often hard, detailed, serious work. The issue is about capabilities and how we spend our time, how we rest and relax, work and create and remain energized spiritually.  

Carl Jung reportedly scheduled time each day, for a period of years, to simply go outback of his home and play. This play allowed him to better free his inner creative self and in some measure reinforced the most profound pieces of his thinking – his work. 

I guess I’m advocating that we give a little thought to how much time we are spending in the realms of the adult and child each week… I’m just saying.