Living in a Blender

“We are at this place where we’ve never been before.  The great rewrite is about a fundamental resetting of this planet’s operating system.” – Leonard Brody

Living in a Blender

I wasn’t at home.  When I looked around I could see that if there was a place that could be called the opposite of my home, this was it!  Leonard Brody was standing directly in front of me and when he began speaking I realized that he was the perfect companion for my current dislocation.

“We are at this place where we’ve never been before.  The great rewrite is about a fundamental resetting of this planet’s operating system.”  He said.  Then he continued, “Life today is like living in a blender!”

I found myself nodding to his words like a metronome. 

Do you ever feel as if you used to live on dry ground and now find yourself living on a sea with its large swells constantly impacting you?  If you do, it’s for good reason.

Leonard gave me these examples. “The largest personal transportation business in the world doesn’t own any vehicles.  Uber.  The largest media business in the world produces no content. Facebook.  The largest telecom business has no phone lines.  Skype.  And, the largest hospitality business in the world owns no hotels and has no hotel rooms. Airbnb.  We live on a completely different planet based on the network effect.”

Have you and I been so focused on living our day-to-day lives that we haven’t been seeing the network effect change our life’s whole picture?  Have you and I consciously noticed that we’re living in yesterday’s science fiction movies?  And, is there a path we can blaze through this confusion toward better, more peaceful living?

Yes!  Here are four key, innovation-world trailblazing principles for you to consider.

First. Be brave.  In our old world, it would cost millions of dollars to disrupt societal norms and business.  Now, in the innovation-world, we are all on a much more even playing field, since we have instant access to information, education and networks of people.  Be brave enough to see how you can simplify the complexities faced by your neighbors and become a trusted navigator.

Second. Have a growth mindset.  This might also be called a “Learn it all” mindset.  Look at the issues of life, business, education and leisure in great detail so you can begin to see if patterns of simplification and delivery are revealed as opportunities for the taking.  Becoming an expert will give you peace of mind as well as a path and window to the future.

Third, Turn lemons into lemonade.  When something knocks you out of your comfort zone ask yourself, “What can I learn from this?” and then seek answers.  Doing so will allow you to move forward so you aren’t living a life filled with recrimination and sorrow.  You’ll find life’s greatest joys will be yours as you make new discoveries and feel the accomplishments of growth.

Fourth.  Reinvent yourself constantly.  The path of discovery is one of surprise and delight.  Following the first three steps will automatically cause you to become a new and exciting person every day.  Embrace the new you and look forward to your newer version as your reinventions are revealed!

All versions of a blender can be dangerous and scary things and the blender we’re living in is no exception.   At the same time, they can be used as a tool to create exciting new versions & combinations of every day, standard ingredients.  No, you and I aren’t living in the place we used to call home.  We aren’t living the lives of the millions of people who have gone before.  So, let’s use the four key, innovation-world trailblazing principles as a tool so we can blend up the most wonderful planet and lives we can imagine!

The Internal-Seeing-Eys of Genius

“Others have given up on their own personal journey toward discovering their inherent exceptional being because they feel as if they can never compete with the false media images forever before their eyes.”

The Internal-Seeing-Eye of Genius

The sidewalk was crowed with people from all walks of life.  It wasn’t as if they were wearing some kind of uniform or anything, but it felt as if they were all seeking to be the same.

“Everyone is the same, different than me.”  The voice inside my head registered.

It was a large city and there were hundreds of thousands of people all around.  They were from all walks of life and from every corner of the globe, and it all felt homogenous.  Except for one.

I, the one, continued walking toward my hotel, self-contained in a sea of humanity.  I looked up at the signs that were shouting, proclaiming the celebration of unique individual gifts when another thought raced through my head.

“The masses of people invading this city are here to seek the unique, to hear and see the exceptional talents of others.  I wonder if they’ve sought the same within themselves?”

Our world of instant information and worship of celebrity seems to have taken a toll on our individual search for the exceptional within us.  Some have fallen prey to a mistaken belief that being famous is the objective of all existence. Others have given up on their own personal journey toward discovering their inherent exceptional being because they feel as if they can never compete with the false media images forever before their eyes.

Yet, there is another eye.  It is an eye that seems to be rarely used. It is the internal-seeing-eye of genius.

This internal-seeing-eye of genius is not an eye of selfishness.  It is an eye that reveals unique personal gifts and everyone has it.

Do you believe yourself to be a one of a kind?  Have you been able to search within yourself to discover what gifts are uniquely yours?  Are you able to share your special attributes with others to give what only you can give?

I looked through my external eyes at the throng of people ahead of me on the sidewalk.  It wasn’t as if they were wearing some kind of uniform or anything, but it suddenly felt as if we had all taken the mistaken trip as we sought only to enjoy the unique talents of others.

“Everyone is different than me.”  The voice inside my head registered.  “I wonder how I’m different?  Perhaps it’s time for me to take another trip, a trip of self discovery!”

Creating Bounciness

“You’ve seen farmers watering their fields late in the fall because they know the importance of tending roots to keep them strong.”  Steve Culley

Creating Bounciness

“It will come back within a couple of weeks.” Mike said as we looked across the brown grass and stressed trees.

We were standing in the hot sun as we worked together to get a handle on a deepening water crisis during one of the hottest summers ever.  We had already done a lot of work and we had just finished what we hoped would be the final repairs to my struggling well.  I knew Mike was right, but I thought it would take well into the next growing season to see any real results.

Long before water was refreshing my plants again I had a conversation with Steve Culley.  “I need to suspend my fertilization until I have water to irrigate with.”  I said as soon as Steve returned my call.  “I’m afraid I’ve lost most of my landscaping!”

As our conversation was coming to a close, Steve offered one more critical piece of advice. “When you can water again, make sure you water late in the fall.  You’ve seen farmers watering their fields late in the fall because they know the importance of tending roots to keep them strong.”  He said.

I believed every word Steve said to me because I’d already seen his work make a profound difference in the health of my plants.  And, when water began to grace my land again I, an already converted believer, became more convinced than ever.

Within one week of receiving good, regular irrigation my plants began to look good again even with temperatures still above the century mark.  I was amazed!  Then, after two weeks, the plants began to look spectacular!  Mike and Steve know their craft!  They’ve taught me a lot about the importance of paying attention to maintaining a strict regime of nourishment.  I’m grateful to be the recipient of their exceptional talents and knowledge and wanted to share it with you.

Here’s the root of what they’ve taught me about bouncing back quickly after severe stress.

First, we all receive strength from our individual wells.  The well I’m talking about provides us with physical, mental and spiritual nutrition.  We need to make sure our wells are sunk into the right sources so we can receive everything we need, especially during difficult times.  You’ve heard the saying about building on a rock?  Mike deepened my well until it was anchored in a base of gravel to be sure I had good, clean water.  Some times, during times of struggle we may find that our wells aren’t set in the right strata.  That’s when we may need to deepen or even move our wells to make sure we have the best flow possible.  Make sure to set your personal well in the right places and maintain it, dare I say well?

Second, Steve has shown me that even though my plants look good right now, they still need to be fertilized.  Had I not provided my plants with the right nutrition on a regular basis they never would have been strong enough to last through high heat and lack of water.  Are you and I giving ourselves what we need to be strong in every basic category of our lives so we can weather life’s inevitable snags?

Finally, Mike and Steve have reaffirmed the universal truth, “you get what you give.” “Creating Bounciness” in your life is all about personal root strength in this small, powerful truth.  Its about accurately seeing yourself as a whole person and creating strong, deep roots in your life.

When you and I focus on giving ourselves, our life’s roots, what we need to be complete, good things can happen again quickly, even when difficulties have taken their toll.  Trouble simply reveals a need to fine-tune our personal well so sustenance can flow to us again.  And, because we’ve followed a systematic and regular routine of individual nourishment we can bounce back much more quickly than we could have ever imagined!

Significant Changes

“You have to change you, first.”

Significant Changes

The small room had a round table.  Four of us surrounded the table looking at each other as we talked.  We were there to discuss making significant changes and the faces on every participant reflected it.  It wasn’t the first time we had gathered to exchange information in an effort to make some decisions about how change our business.  And, as the conversation started, I realized that it was the first time our work had shifted from gathering information to taking concrete steps toward what we hoped would be a brighter future. 

That realization had an ever-deepening significance as it caused me to reflect on my own progress toward becoming a “Question-Asking Master.”

“If you want to change your life or career fast, stop talking and start listening to people everywhere you go.”  Were the words that came flashing through my mind.

As soon as this one, principled thought had made its impression, the fear related to my current life-changing meeting began to melt away.  I knew instantly that my little band didn’t need to have all of the answers right then and there.  The most effective path forward, toward the greatest possible success was simple.  Ask more questions and do more listening as a way to focus on helping others.

Having a focus on lifting other people in life can be challenging.  Perhaps its because doing so requires us to keep our mouths shut most of the time.  I’m sure that‘s easy for some.  Yet, for me, it is often like trying to hold back an ocean’s tide!

So, I quickly, silently ran through my Question-Asking Master checklist, “How often do I feel the need to talk and share my opinions?  Do I ever dominate the conversation in my meetings?  Do I tell too many of my own stories?”  And, then, perhaps the biggest, most revealing checklist question of all: “Is there any chance that I’m subconsciously trying to get self-validation to make myself feel more important and valued?”

I looked around the room at my colleagues gathered at the round table in front of me.  “They’re worth it!”  I thought.  “They deserve to be respected!”

So, I began to ask relevant questions out loud and then I listened.  I listened more and began to focus on letting them talk.  Only then did I speak to ask more questions.  The longer I listened to them talk; the more an easy feeling of relief filled the room.

Then, an amazing thing happened.  All of the coldness started to melt away from the faces in the room!  We all felt better and shared a belief that we could take our next steps confidently. Together.  It was a monumental change.

It’s also a change each of us can enjoy personally and collectively. Do you want to make significant changes in your life? 

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Then, you have to change you, first!