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You shall know the truth

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Crystal Chien) — Tue, 17 Mar 2009 07:14:00 +0000

There are different levels of awareness of one's truths.

On one level, there is the surface explanations that are convenient to keep the status quo and a functional denial in place. For example, in a divorce filing, a wife claimed that her husband deliberately and willfully squeezed the tube of toothpaste and left the top off. Certainly, the reasons for wanting to end a marriage goes much deeper than a tube of toothpaste. Another example of a surface explanation is a friend who claims they were just too busy to call back, when the truth might be an intentional avoidance.

Finding deeper levels of the truth, that in fact the wife is fearful that the husband will never respect her needs, or that the friend finds your public behavior embarrassing because it is similar to his or her parent, is important because it takes a tremendous amount of energy to contain and keep the truth from oneself and others. I have observed that when a person says to another or oneself what he or she is most afraid of expressing and acknowledges that reality, the situation changes. Speaking to a core truth, whether or not another person acknowledges it, can create a shift in the world.

Truth telling is the recognition of what is complete in the moment and naming it. In many cultures' mythologies, it is the naming of a spirit, knowing the truth behind a deception, or uncovering a mystery that leads to the next stage of growth.

What layers of the truth do you have yet to uncover?

To allow yourself to be taken by life, by God

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Crystal Chien) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 19:40:00 +0000

I often write in my journal during challenging times and good times as well. The practice of reflection can help to integrate and synthesize experiences, to draw the bitterness out of difficult circumstances and to highlight the preciousness of uplifting times.

During a period of extreme personal challenge in the spring of last year, I wrote some thoughts to recapture my faith. I condensed these thoughts into a quote, which to my surprise seems to have touched many people. It lives in my email signature.

To allow yourself to be taken by life, by God to the shallow edges and the deep ocean, to learn to live with fear, to seek to serve, to be gracious, to love. Perhaps that is all there is - not the having, but the practice of being carried and submitting to that which calls you.

Sleepwalking

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Crystal Chien) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 19:48:00 +0000

In Buddhism, there is the idea that most people are sleepwalking through life and the purpose is to awaken. While it may seem that you are often awake in your life, it may be less so than you think.

When coaching people, I often ask them to describe exactly what happened with a difficult or troubling situation. This activity is different than telling the "story" of what happened (e.g. "this person doesn't respect me"). "Tell me what words were said. Describe the actions that took place." This practice can help someone to awaken by calling upon the ability to observe carefully.

Sometimes, at a specific point in the situation, a person is unable to clearly remember what was said or done. "I don't remember exactly what happened next." This can be an illuminating point to determine where an underlying issue, overwhelming feeling, or trigger reaction came into being and where the person fell asleep, so to speak. Then, I ask the person to take time to recollect carefully or to watch for the same moment in a future situation and record what happens the next time. When these moments are seen clearly for what they are, often the solution or clarity of what's next comes naturally.

If you observe, describe, and become more aware of exactly what happens in a challenging situation, what can be revealed?

Importance and the Environment

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Crystal Chien) — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 19:20:00 +0000

Many modern dysfunctions related to self-destruction (and thereby environmental destruction) come from a lack of recognition of the sacred importance of every person, animal, tree, rock, substance, and object. To compensate for this lack, we become like black holes drawing resources in and blighting what comes in touch with us.

An outward manifestation of this is the sheer amount of trash (literally, garbage) that we generate. About 1,000 miles west of San Francisco is a patch of swirling plastic and debris in the Pacific Ocean, estimated to be twice the size of the state of Texas and weigh about 3 million tons, in some places up to 300 feet deep. Plastic-made objects that drift into this area (everything from bottles and bags to toys) fragment into particles as fine as dust but have no natural way of being removed or degraded into the ocean. Creatures that consume these particles become carriers of toxins. Several more of these plastic trash islands and patches cluster in an area twice the size of the entire U.S.

This environmental issue is very related to people being raised without a sense of appropriate importance and connectedness. Whether a person thinks/feels that he or she is the worst person around, or conversely, the best thing to walk the planet, what they share in common is a lack of context for being important. How am I related to others around me, the larger society, and all living and non-living things? How is each object in my awareness important as myself and how can I preserve its well-being or purpose? What can I do differently to honor what is important?

What does it mean to have a healthy sense of being important?

Grace

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Crystal Chien) — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 18:39:00 +0000

Have you ever wondered how something was able to happen in your life at the right time without your doing? "That was just what was needed right now!" Or, perhaps against all of your previous patterns and desires? "In the past, if I were faced with this situation, I would have always ___________, but this time I ________________."

Becoming open to grace allows this to happen more frequently, to be led towards new ways of being and acting through everyday miracles. Developing this openness takes practice, discipline, and awareness, much like what an athlete would do. In sports psychology, the optimal state of being is "the zone," an unconscious focus, without too much thinking but with complete awareness of the present, primarily through the senses. In this state, peak performance arises, often in a psychic manner of anticipating the exact shot or stroke needed.

In translating this to everyday life, practices that encourage the development of deep present, sensate awareness and to quiet the thinking mind can help to cultivate "the zone" in daily activities, akin to the experience of grace.

What daily exercise of the mind or body can be helpful to you in becoming more open to receiving grace?

Finding the Center

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Crystal Chien) — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 17:16:00 +0000

There is a place of peacefulness inside - where you feel the most yourself, at one with the world, most alive in your being, most open to your self, others, and the world, a place of ultimate well-being. This is your center.

Being in this place, being centered, comes with a sensation. If you find yourself there from time to time, notice how it feels in your body, emotions, and mind. Cultivating an awareness of this center creates an associated memory to help you know when you are off or on center. It's like finding a familiar hill in a landscape, being able to know when you are "there" or how far you've traveled from it. Spending a significant amount of time in this center, often accomplished by meditative practices and retreats, can build a strong desire to come back to this place, to come home when you feel lost or thrown off, which can be a powerful way to remain peaceful while facing life's challenges.

For those who are not familiar with the feeling of being centered, begin not by being still, which may be difficult, but begin by observing what happens. Just begin to notice the details - the exact shade of the sky in a given moment, what your loved one said this morning before you left, the shapes of a candle flame as it burns - begin to watch life closely and notice what you may see.

Where are you in relation to your center now?

The Art of Not Accomplishing

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Crystal Chien) — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 19:11:00 +0000

In witnessing myself and other people in coaching over time, I've come to see the similarities in how people become more relaxed by not "doing" in their lives and learning to experience their lives instead. Like Tim Gallwey's books on the Inner Game, learning happens easily when people observe themselves, obtain feedback, and use it to naturally accomplish something without trying.

One of the most challenging aspects of coaching is to undo the tenacious hold that people have on themselves to instruct, direct, and guide themselves into better behavior. Not only is this often frustrating and ineffective, it can also create a sense of struggle, inadequacy and dissatisfaction. To believe and trust in one's natural ability to learn without trying is a graceful way to move through life. There is a natural movement towards skillfulness and wellness inside each of us.

What are you trying hard to do today that could be "not done"?

To learn to die and grieve

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Crystal Chien) — Sat, 26 May 2007 18:44:00 +0000

A concept in Buddhism and other religions is to "learn to die before you die," meaning to accept the temporariness of your life, after which you learn to live without fear of death and loss. If you have already come to terms with the finite nature of your life, then the rest is to simply live it well. The illusion that one's life will go on endlessly often creates an inertia against doing the things that are the most important now.

In a related sense, it is also possible to grieve what you love before you lose it, after which you learn to live without fear of loss. The idea that something valuable will cease one day causes endless torment, grief, and suffering: "How long will I be with the person I love?", "When will my children outgrow me?", "Will I lose my house? [or job, car, etc.]".

The best balm to attachment, whether to one's life or the things or people in one's life, is to imagine that they have already ended, to grieve and accept their loss in advance, and to live as if they have already passed. The reality is that they will all end one day, at the latest upon one's own death. With this mindset, there is a freedom to appreciate, to love, and to experience the passing of things with a sense of peace, along with gratitude that they are still present for today.

What do you have in your life that you can practice as if they had ended?

The Intersection of Love, Sex, Intimacy and Commitment

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Crystal Chien) — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 05:44:00 +0000

Tonight I had a revealing conversation with a male friend after dinner. We were talking about nontraditional relationships, such as cuddle buddies and lovers. At one point, we realized that what we have in common in our lives is an interest in undoing the links between love, sex, intimacy and commitment that men and women are conditioned to believe in this society. Not to become hedonistic or immoral, but as a way to expand the understanding of what is healthy.

Stereotypically, men are conditioned to want sex, whether or not it is attached to love, but also as the only path towards intimacy if there is one. Commitment may come as a by-product of love or sex. Women are conditioned to link all of the above - sex, love, intimacy and commitment.

A growth experience for men may be to practice intimacy without sex, to learn how to turn down sex under the right circumstances, or to practice commitment as a primary motivator in a relationship. For women, it might be to practice knowing how sex and love are not the same thing, to practice not making commitments under the right circumstances, and to learn how sex can be a primary motivator in a relationship.

Learning how to expand beyond the boundaries of what we are supposed to do, into the grey zone of what is healthy and possible, expands our ability to determine the right thing to do in any situation.

In what ways have you been affected by your beliefs about how sex, love, intimacy and commitment are related?

Discovering the Forgotten Self

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Crystal Chien) — Sat, 11 Nov 2006 15:09:00 +0000

In an industrial, capitalist society, we become conditioned as our functions. Rather than being treated as our whole selves, we are raised to perform functions in work and family life. The most prevalent question posed to children that embodies this concept is, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" The answer, of course, is a function - "a fireman, a teacher, a writer". Especially with girls, the question regarding family relates to what size of family or what kind of family one would like. Limiting one's being to functions strips us of the ability to actualize our whole selves. Imagine a girl responding, "I'd like to live with my sister until I get old" or "I want to be a person who is aware and kind." The response would be more leading questions to steer her back onto the designated path: "What do you really want your family to look like?", "What else do you want to do?", "Why are you saying that?"

Part of the journey to wholeness and integration is the discovery of what lies underneath self-concepts that develop based on function and identity. Discovering this "other" you is often avoided through a host of preoccupations - obsessive work, games, socializing, or other behaviors - because there is a certain grief in coming to terms with having ignored, denied, or suppressed the entirety of oneself. There can be a growing recognition that 'who you think that you are' is a socially constructed function that is actually very limiting. Going beyond functional identity can be a difficult and painful journey - the realization of the original loss and also the discovery the forgotten self. However, if you can take this road, a new life will begin that is experienced externally as the world being open and inviting, as if seen for the first time.

Ask yourself in the morning, what you were like as a child? Do you remember your whole self before the questions began?

Procrastination, Perfectionism, and Other Shortcuts

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Crystal Chien) — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 18:34:00 +0000

I often work with people who may name certain undesirable behavior - calling it procrastination, perfectionism, overthinking, or another label.

Labeling is what I consider a shortcut, a way of thinking that stops any further investigation because it is known. In many circumstances, it can help to conjure up a host of understandings that have already been established. Such as, "That's just my inner critic speaking again. I can ignore that." Or "That's my supervisor's micromanaging (or disasterizing). I don't need to panic." When these labels are shortcuts to acceptance, constructive action, and an appropriate response, they are handy.

The temptation, however, is to label behaviors that are not well understood at all, thereby preventing a true recognition of the situation and the ability to handle it well. What is named "procrastination" may be a signpost to an unknown skill that needs to be learned first. What is named "perfectionism" could be covering a genuine desire to enact an important value or belief but feeling powerless to do so. What is named "overthinking" may be a fear of not having the ability to use one's own personal power for good rather than to oppress others.

Next time you find yourself labeling, ask "If I really look at this situation, could the undesirable behavior tell me something important?"

You are not your experiences

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Crystal Chien) — Fri, 26 May 2006 01:06:00 +0000

It is a recent development in history -- the concept of the person as composed merely of flesh, blood, experiences, emotions, and thoughts. Previously, people conceived of themselves as spiritual beings in a larger cosmology. While this view is still quite common, there are a growing number of individuals who are raised to believe that they are what they experience. That our being and sense of identity is primarily what we think, feel, experience, and know.

The fallacy in this approach is that when a history of negative experiences occur in one's life, that person can easily misconstrue that therefore one's identity and complete being are negative, fearful, uncertain, and inadequate. The rationale goes - if there are no consistent experiences of the positive, and if experiences are the whole of one's being, then the negative is all there is.

Consider for a moment that we are not what we experience. That there is some greater unknown in our existence that cannot be described. That what you know and believe could be a story that you tell yourself to explain how things have come this far.

What other explanations could there be to tell you who you are?

Alignment

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Crystal Chien) — Wed, 08 Mar 2006 07:07:00 +0000

Alignment is a concept that can be used with both organizations and people - an indication of how wide the "integrity gap" may be between operating principles and resulting actions.

The Western view of the world (spirituality) is often divided between good and evil. This black-and-white outlook can create a tension within a person or an organization because of the imperfection of being.

As an example, fundamentally good people and organizations make compromises to their values - a preacher may be teaching hatred, an environmental organization may have employees who drive cars, an adult child may refuse to care for his or her elderly parents. However, there may be something to be gained if there is the honesty to admit and acknowledge these compromises. Admitting imperfection and the existence of the grey zone can help to reduce the struggle of internal contradictions, while at the same time striving for alignment.

How often do your actions align with your values?

Spiritual Tasks

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Crystal Chien) — Thu, 02 Feb 2006 05:38:00 +0000

The result of meditation and humility can be an internal expanse of quietude - my friend used to say it was watching life like a beautiful piece of cinematography. In this expanse, a person can hear the spiritual assignments that one is being called to do. These tasks are not always magnificent - often, they may be tasks that simply serve as the next step. They may require courage to take on. They may be the kind of task that one procrastinates in doing. They are, ultimately, the tasks that would be full of regret if left undone in this lifetime.

Examples are:
- Finding forgiveness and making peace with a family member.
- Reconnecting with a long-lost friend.
- Telling the truth and making amends for a lie that affected someone(s) deeply.
- Doing something again that you love but once stopped doing in your life.
- Healing from a childhood trauma or secret.
- Acknowledging people who don't realize how special they are to you.
- Pursuing a passionate interest.
- Taking on a personal or professional challenge that you may be able to handle but always avoided.
- Making sense of your life and finding meaning in all of its miraculous and despairing moments.

Take a moment to consider how your awareness can be tuned in and your inner sea calmed. What spiritual tasks are you being called to do?

Destiny

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Crystal Chien) — Fri, 25 Nov 2005 10:29:00 +0000

Sometimes the world seems very deliberate, as though everything in reality is happening, in an extraordinary way, as though everything conspired towards its creation and sustenance.

Is this, perhaps, what they call destiny?

Destiny is more than that. It is not only when that state exists, but also when you are completely conscious of it, when there is a calling deep within your soul that this is inevitable, that this is meant to be, that you cannot avoid it, however you may try, that this will be ultimately good, although now it may fight against your deepest feelings, your strongest convictions. Destiny is not mindless, nor predetermined. It takes an onslaught of will and courage.

Prayer

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Crystal Chien) — Mon, 26 Sep 2005 22:54:00 +0000

I consider myself a pan-thiest - that there is some of the truth in every religious and spiritual practice. The details change, but the underlying spirit remains the same. With regard to prayer, some traditions such as Islam have a set format and method of prayer that often brings peace and inspiration to practitioners. For those who are not raised with such a tradition or do not resonate with such a practice, the following may be helpful to you.

One of my spiritual advisors once told me, prayer is a conversation that can happen anywhere. Not having been raised in a particular tradition, I found the idea of regular, formal prayer and meditation daunting. Also my personality lends itself to weather-like patterns rather than steady, wave-like persistence. So her ideas were particularly reassuring.

This approach was completely different than my image of prayer, from mainstream practices, as asking for help in a set time and way. She said that prayer can happen anywhere - on a bus, while buying groceries, at work, in bed, while walking - and that prayer could be seen as a conversation as a friend about anything. No topic could be seen as too small or insignificant. She said to just start having a conversation when I remember to seek a connection with the spiritual, where ever I am.

With this practice, I find that my relationship with the spiritual can be small, daily, ordinary, and somehow more lasting, infused, and powerful than I had imagined.

On Worry

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Crystal Chien) — Wed, 31 Aug 2005 23:34:00 +0000

One of the sources of excessive worry, besides biological factors, is self-centeredness. (Perhaps you could say that self-centeredness is a form of excessive worry.)

Sadly, some societies seem to promote self-centeredness as a virtue. I am reminded of a poem by Chrystos that about a disease called ICOTU (I am the Center Of The Universe). Living in the U.S., many people, including myself, sometimes suffer from this affliction until there is a shift in spiritual outlook.

Common signs of self-centeredness are thoughts that appear similar to the following:

What am I getting out of this?
When will _______ just do what I want (often known as "the right way")?
I just wish that __________.
If only __________.
I only __________.
Because if he or she ___________, then I would _____________.

Sometimes what can help is the thought, How can this situation be a genuine benefit to someone else?, along with a belief that there is a greater purpose, meaning, or unseen system at work.

What are your spiritual explanations for how things happen and why?

On Compassion

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Crystal Chien) — Wed, 24 Aug 2005 00:52:00 +0000

An armed carjacking took place on the street where I once lived. By providence, the driver ran from the car, taking a bullet in the hand and the leg, ran down the street and ended up in front of our house. The doorbell rang, then we heard pounding and shouting, "I've been shot! Call the police!" It was a dark evening, 11pm, both the porch light and the street light were out. We kept the door closed and talked to him through the double-paned glass window while calling 911. A few minutes later - after much of his shouting to call for help, his fears of the carjackers coming after him, the thieves driving past us on their motorcycles - the police arrived. We opened the door but could not see much. After replacing the light bulb overhead, the magnitude of the event was displayed clearly - an uneven pool of blood draining from the porch and stairs - the man's hand wrapped in a sweatshirt.

Do you ever wonder how you might react in such a situation? I help people to see themselves clearly, to take in their whole lives, their purpose, and to live in alignment with the world as they see it. What surprised me about this incident is the first reaction I felt upon seeing all of the blood - not horror, disgust, blaming, terror, or anger. It was a deep, genuine sadness; a pain about the intention of those willing to harm or kill another person for a living. Upset about organized crime that recruits those who think they have no prospects for the future otherwise, that hires young people to staff their criminal operations. This is how he pays for gas and rent, like anyone just going to a job.

Sometimes I have the urge to do something self-destructive; I was that way for many years. Because of grace and spirit, I am able to maintain a sense of calm and stay away from the shadow side, on the whole. Sometimes I want to say to people who are acting out, who are oppressed, you are already more powerful than your dreams, you are stronger than you realize, you are already who you are meant to be if you have the courage to face yourself and be calm. When you can be still within yourself, things begin to happen that are beyond your greatest expectations.

Perhaps, this man meant to come to our door that one night to find something that he also needed, something he didn't realize that he had.

On Suffering

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Crystal Chien) — Thu, 11 Aug 2005 03:48:00 +0000

Suffering is a part of life.

Often, those in the human potential movement (who promote empowerment, enlightenment, spirituality, or some type of self-help) forget to mention that your suffering may diminish but never vanish. To say otherwise would be like someone telling you that you will never be sad again, and who would really want that, to be partially human.

But that is not a popular line to sell instant gratification - "Become at peace with the world - and still suffer, sometimes."

For those who wonder what happens when you come closer to your true self and self-transcendence, you do have more peace of mind. And yes, you still suffer.

Sometimes at this stage, the suffering can have a purpose, like a wildfire burning down an overgrown hill. Sometimes the suffering is incomprehensible. Sometimes the suffering is just suffering.

The main difference I notice, besides the ability to feel serenity and joy at times, is that it doesn't seem to matter as much whether or not suffering happens. Of course, in the current day U.S., the suffering endured by most is not of a dire or horrendous nature, in comparison to the types of suffering that exist. While some do experience this type of suffering, the rest of us struggle mainly with interior demons.

What can you learn about yourself through your suffering?

Transformation - How Change Happens - Two

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Crystal Chien) — Wed, 06 Jul 2005 00:00:00 +0000

This blog is the second in a two-part series on "how change happens".

The previous blog discussed several characteristics of how change happens from the book Your Own Worst Enemy.

In my coaching work, I have noticed several other elements that block transformation.

Attachment to being right or doing things a certain way.

Unwillingness to imagine other possibilities.

Negative beliefs about one's own abilities or purpose in life.

Fear of change.

Unexamined beliefs regarding how change can or cannot happen.

Unresolved issues in another area of life or work.

Ignoring inherent messages (intuition).

Similarly, there are several attributes that promote transformation.

Willingness to take on the unknown.

Faith and/or a positive explanation of the universe (spirituality).

Tolerance for a typical amount of discomfort.

Ability to "step outside" of typical behavior and thinking patterns (meta-level awareness).

Balance of receptivity and action.

Persistence.

Next time you are facing the challenge to change something in your work or personal life, you may find it helpful to consider what factors may be helping or hindering your ease of transformation.

Transformation - How Change Happens - One

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Crystal Chien) — Tue, 05 Jul 2005 21:47:00 +0000

This blog is the first in a two part series on "how change happens".

One thoughtful description of "how change happens" was written in a book regarding underachievement. In Your Own Worst Enemy: Breaking the Habit of Adult Underachievement, Ken Christian writes a chapter that includes "Secrets of Change Revealed."

A few of these ideas that I have found true in my own experience are:

Change requires that you persist even when your efforts are having no apparent effect other than making you feel disrupted, inconvenienced, and bothered.

Chaos and setbacks are proof that you are changing.

Failure is necessary for learning.

You cannot change the past.

Change builds upon itself.

how

Change requires that you become fully engaged for a period of contemplation, preparation, and decisive action, followed by continuing maintenance.

You may find some of these reflect your own experiences or that you have a different perception. How do you experience change? What are your lessons and knowledge of what works in your business or personal life to create change?

Psychology and Astrology

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Crystal Chien) — Sun, 03 Jul 2005 16:37:00 +0000

Here is an interesting study showing the beginnings of convergence of science and astrology (in my mind).

Season of Birth Variations in the Temperament and Character Inventory of Personality in a General Population by Jayanti Chotai, Thomas Forsgren, Lars-Göran Nilsson, Rolf Adolfsson

Division of Psychiatry, Department of Clinical Sciences, University of Umeå, and Department of Psychology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden

Neuropsychobiology 2001;44:19-26

Abstract

Background: Since several studies show season of birth variations in morbidity, suicidal behavior and CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) monoamine metabolites, we investigated season of birth variations in personality in the population.

Methods: We analyzed by multiple logistic regressions the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) for 2,130 individuals taking part in the Betula prospective random cohort study of Umeå, Sweden.

Results: The personality dimensions were correlated significantly with age and gender. We stratified the data according to age, gender and the season of TCI measurement. By the median split in each stratum, a high-value group and a low-value group were obtained for each of the personality dimensions. Those born during February to April were significantly more likely than those born during October to January to have high NS (novelty seeking) among women, particularly the subscale NS2 (impulsiveness vs. reflection), and to have high PS (persistence) among men. Temperament profiles also showed season of birth variations.

Conclusions: We discuss the associations in the literature between personality and the monoamines serotonin and dopamine, and suggest that our results are compatible with a hypothesis of season of birth variation in the monoamine turnover. The personality traits are likely to be influenced by several genetic and environmental factors, one of them being the season of birth.

Artistic Obsessions

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Crystal Chien) — Mon, 04 Apr 2005 04:30:00 +0000

I read once that each artist has obsessions that she tries to convey in her artwork. (I also call these key artistic themes.) Only when these obsessions are expressed and understood does the artwork appear meaningful. Regardless of how skillful and beautiful a work of art may be to others, I believe that unless one of these key artistic themes is expressed in one's art, that the art lacks satisfaction and purpose to the artist. Intuitively, the artist understands the obsession and conveys deeper meaning to a work of art than is known consciously. This brings an internal logic to the art that acts as a mirror to reflect a world greater than itself.

What are your key artistic themes or obsessions?

Faith and Business

noreply@blogger.com (Jennifer Crystal Chien) — Thu, 17 Feb 2005 23:09:00 +0000

Running a business based on faith may sound on the surface to be an irresponsible idea. Ironically, faith is one of the most powerful factors that can influence an entrepreneur's ability to work well. Faith promotes optimism, a well-studied factor of business success.

From The Mount Vernon Review from Morrissey & Company:

Optimists and pessimists operate very differently, and business success is a direct result of individual actions. Optimists take more risks and try more new things – they cheerfully deal with problems head on, rather than withdrawing in presumed defeat. They view failure as something changeable, something that can be overcome. Pessimists blame themselves for failure, attributing it to some permanent characteristic. Because of this, optimists are more successful in negotiating our world of constant change.

In more than 30 years of research on the topic, Dr. Martin Seligman, a noted psychologist, revealed that optimists:

Set higher objectives and have a stronger commitment to their goals.

Are resilient – they have the staying power for long-term success.

Demonstrate persistence – they believe challenges can be overcome.

Are flexible, enabling them to effectively manage new circumstances.

Recover quickly from rejection and setbacks.

Focus on how it can be accomplished, rather than why it can’t be done.

Are more secure with themselves.

View success as permanent – each success motivates an optimist to achieve higher ideals.

Believe they influence and control their results, motivating them to try harder.

Are capable of managing their motivation during difficult times.

Consistently produce more than pessimists, particularly in challenging situations.

Are healthier, physically, so take less sick-time from work.

Are less likely to quit their jobs.

Next time you find yourself facing a challenge in the workplace, try turning your focus on what isn't working to the spiritual side of having faith that everything will work. You may be surprised by how the challenge seems easier to manage effectively with this focus on faith.