Most people don't aim too high and miss.
They aim too low and hit.
-Bob Moawad
I guess the same thing could be said of the job hunt, right?
We all want work, but let's be specific in what we really want to do.
And to do that, you'd have to be really honest with oneself.
You'd have to park the fear and quit worring about a paycheck and everyone else.
Hmmm...I think I'm talking to myself, and not you afterall.
:)
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Sunday, December 27, 2009
What I will tell Cody...
Cody, our son, is about to graduate high school in June.
I can see him start to process the death of his childhood and the uncertainty of adulthood.
His energy feels to me to be one of a person that is unsettled. He knows on some level decisions need to be made, and he is very much afraid.
I know of this without him telling me a word.
And I know of this to be fact for he comes to me in the dream space.
I thought long and hard about what I should tell him.
Isn't this my biggest moment?
As a parent?
Isn't this my biggest moment as Elizabeth Lions?
Who do I really want to be in relation to all of this?
And, the most important question, the one that rocks me to my core -
What would love do now?
I thought a lot about all of this and here is what I will tell him, over and over again, until it registers deep in his beautiful mind and leaves a permament impression.
I will tell him:
Cody,
Listen to the mustn'ts child,
Listen to the don'ts,
Listen to the shouldn'ts,
the impossibles,
Listen to the never haves...
Then you listen close to me.
ANYTHING can happen, child.
Anything can be!
Including you. So go choose and choose again.
They will always tell you that you are too young or too old.
They will always tell you no.
And in recession, they will tell you that it is impossible.
Come here, my son..........listen closely....
Go create.
Choose.
Choose something.
Choose anything. Do not be afraid of your choices, for in the end, it will all be ok.
Work towards being the man that you are, with your beliefs and visions.
Anything can happen, Cody.
And that 'anything' is YOU.
I can see him start to process the death of his childhood and the uncertainty of adulthood.
His energy feels to me to be one of a person that is unsettled. He knows on some level decisions need to be made, and he is very much afraid.
I know of this without him telling me a word.
And I know of this to be fact for he comes to me in the dream space.
I thought long and hard about what I should tell him.
Isn't this my biggest moment?
As a parent?
Isn't this my biggest moment as Elizabeth Lions?
Who do I really want to be in relation to all of this?
And, the most important question, the one that rocks me to my core -
What would love do now?
I thought a lot about all of this and here is what I will tell him, over and over again, until it registers deep in his beautiful mind and leaves a permament impression.
I will tell him:
Cody,
Listen to the mustn'ts child,
Listen to the don'ts,
Listen to the shouldn'ts,
the impossibles,
Listen to the never haves...
Then you listen close to me.
ANYTHING can happen, child.
Anything can be!
Including you. So go choose and choose again.
They will always tell you that you are too young or too old.
They will always tell you no.
And in recession, they will tell you that it is impossible.
Come here, my son..........listen closely....
Go create.
Choose.
Choose something.
Choose anything. Do not be afraid of your choices, for in the end, it will all be ok.
Work towards being the man that you are, with your beliefs and visions.
Anything can happen, Cody.
And that 'anything' is YOU.
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
131 West 35th Street, NY, NY
West 35th Street, New York, New York
New Yorkers, and might I say, people on the eastern seaboard, in general, are called rude, rushed and aggressive.
But New Yorkers themselves will tell you they are not rude, rushed or aggressive.
They just have someplace to go.
It is as if they are all running by a magic clock.
Timeliness is a demand, not a virtue.
It was an unusually warm day in December as I walked down the street, admiring decorations, thinking over my appointments and dreaming of my future and what lied ahead.
I could no longer deny that these are my people and they understand me in the east.
The land of the rising sun.
Grief and separation is what drove me away some twenty three years ago, seeking to rebuild my life, but outside of Penn Station all the familiar feelings of the pace and the energy filled me. Intuitively, I knew how to jay walk and how to say “Excuse me, please.” if I was trying to get past someone stopped in the laberinth of people marching like ants to their destination. My footsteps fell with the audible step of progression.
And, there, in the roar of the asphalt jungle, was the goodness of all that surrounded me.
You just have to look closely, but it is there.
A woman, rushing past us, dropping six dollars. The wind carried it across the sidewalk. She didn’t know she had lost it. The invisible clock ticked and she had to meet her deadline of having her body in the right place, in the right building at the right time.
“Mam’! M’am! M’am!” The woman cried loudly despite the crowd of people rushing past us. Quickly she threw herself onto the pavement to retrieve the money for the stranger.
“The money fell out of your pocket!”
“Thank you.” She smiled and took the bills from the woman's hand.
If anything is excellent or praise worthy, think about such things.
Excellent.
Praise worthy.
New Yorkers are such things.
New Yorkers, and might I say, people on the eastern seaboard, in general, are called rude, rushed and aggressive.
But New Yorkers themselves will tell you they are not rude, rushed or aggressive.
They just have someplace to go.
It is as if they are all running by a magic clock.
Timeliness is a demand, not a virtue.
It was an unusually warm day in December as I walked down the street, admiring decorations, thinking over my appointments and dreaming of my future and what lied ahead.
I could no longer deny that these are my people and they understand me in the east.
The land of the rising sun.
Grief and separation is what drove me away some twenty three years ago, seeking to rebuild my life, but outside of Penn Station all the familiar feelings of the pace and the energy filled me. Intuitively, I knew how to jay walk and how to say “Excuse me, please.” if I was trying to get past someone stopped in the laberinth of people marching like ants to their destination. My footsteps fell with the audible step of progression.
And, there, in the roar of the asphalt jungle, was the goodness of all that surrounded me.
You just have to look closely, but it is there.
A woman, rushing past us, dropping six dollars. The wind carried it across the sidewalk. She didn’t know she had lost it. The invisible clock ticked and she had to meet her deadline of having her body in the right place, in the right building at the right time.
“Mam’! M’am! M’am!” The woman cried loudly despite the crowd of people rushing past us. Quickly she threw herself onto the pavement to retrieve the money for the stranger.
“The money fell out of your pocket!”
“Thank you.” She smiled and took the bills from the woman's hand.
If anything is excellent or praise worthy, think about such things.
Excellent.
Praise worthy.
New Yorkers are such things.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Aisle 9
Christmas Cards in bright red boxes lined the dusty shelves, with a tag that screamed 50% off if you buy today.
This is my favorite time of year and I love reflecting on all the clients and friends that touched my life. Writing each card is a special connection for me. The process of picking out the card, enclosing a short, personal note – all the way to the stamp on the envelope, makes me happy that I lived another year.
I’m typically a sucker for shiny things. Cards with gold or silver foil are typically what I buy.
I was taught in business that my cards cannot read “Merry Christmas”. They must be neutral and wish everyone “Happy Holidays” so not to exclude or offend anyone that receives my cheer note.
While I follow the rules, that does not diminish my joy or my desire to find the brightest, happiest greeting that I can find.
But on the dusty, cluttered shelf, this card was different.
This one made me stop and think.
In red font, with a floating snowflake behind the print it simply read:
Whatever is true,
Whatever is noble,
Whatever is right,
Whatever is pure,
Whatever is lovely,
Whatever is admirable,
If anything is excellent
Or praiseworthy—
Think about such things.
Those words floating on the page made me stop and think of you and I and our lives intertwined. We have all survived another year, during recession. Some of us lost our jobs. Some of us kept our jobs and worked longer, hoping each day to not get the pink slip. We cut back. We took a good, hard look at our finances and lifestyle while the world around us unwound. Healthcare, bank failures, buyouts, bailouts filled our conversations.
Could it get any worse?
Then a card, in a store on aisle nine. Reminding me to find the good. That it is always possible to find some small good in people, places and things around me.
It reminded me to stop being so external and to pull my energy inward in quiet contemplation.
To remember that this will all shift and end and we will all be something different when it is over.
To remember to see the joy, and that just remembering to see it, is a choice.
If anything is excellent, or praiseworthy, think about such things.
Think about such things…….such a small statement that would bring such power to us all if we did that one small step.
This is my favorite time of year and I love reflecting on all the clients and friends that touched my life. Writing each card is a special connection for me. The process of picking out the card, enclosing a short, personal note – all the way to the stamp on the envelope, makes me happy that I lived another year.
I’m typically a sucker for shiny things. Cards with gold or silver foil are typically what I buy.
I was taught in business that my cards cannot read “Merry Christmas”. They must be neutral and wish everyone “Happy Holidays” so not to exclude or offend anyone that receives my cheer note.
While I follow the rules, that does not diminish my joy or my desire to find the brightest, happiest greeting that I can find.
But on the dusty, cluttered shelf, this card was different.
This one made me stop and think.
In red font, with a floating snowflake behind the print it simply read:
Whatever is true,
Whatever is noble,
Whatever is right,
Whatever is pure,
Whatever is lovely,
Whatever is admirable,
If anything is excellent
Or praiseworthy—
Think about such things.
Those words floating on the page made me stop and think of you and I and our lives intertwined. We have all survived another year, during recession. Some of us lost our jobs. Some of us kept our jobs and worked longer, hoping each day to not get the pink slip. We cut back. We took a good, hard look at our finances and lifestyle while the world around us unwound. Healthcare, bank failures, buyouts, bailouts filled our conversations.
Could it get any worse?
Then a card, in a store on aisle nine. Reminding me to find the good. That it is always possible to find some small good in people, places and things around me.
It reminded me to stop being so external and to pull my energy inward in quiet contemplation.
To remember that this will all shift and end and we will all be something different when it is over.
To remember to see the joy, and that just remembering to see it, is a choice.
If anything is excellent, or praiseworthy, think about such things.
Think about such things…….such a small statement that would bring such power to us all if we did that one small step.
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