How do you work best?

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"Strangely enough, my imagination works best when I am sitting alone in a large assemblage, when the tumult and noise require a substratum of will if the imagination is to hold to its object; without this environment it bleeds to death in he exhausting embrace of an infinite idea." -Søren Kierkegaard

I stumbled across this quote by danish philosopher and granddaddy of existentialism, Søren Kierkegaard, in the book Wanderlust: A History of Walking by Rebecca Solnit, and couldn't help but feel an absolute sense of agreement. In college I always loved doing my work in a bustling coffee-shop (side note, why can't I find any place as cool as Stella's in DC?), and even now I've got Pandora cranking out the tunes all day as I work to liven up the office ambiance. To me, there's something about the struggle to stay on task when so much is happening that allows me to focus in a way a quiet room never could. As Søren explained in his journals, you can focus on what you're actually doing as you block out the layers of distraction rather than focusing on being isolated from the distraction.

Of course, I know plenty of folks who tell me they need polar opposite conditions to get anything done (the boyfriend for one). In fact, sometimes I can't help but think perhaps there's something wrong with my choice of work environment... is it because I can't handle the quiet? Do I have a need for continuous distraction because I watched too much TV as a kid? It's secretly nice to know my need for a bit of chaos isn't solely a result of growing up in an era of over-stimulation - something tells me that Kierkegaard's quiet, 19th century Copenhagen upbringing didn't over-saturate him with Sesame Street.

Another quote plucked from Kierkegaard's writings for Solnit's book was so sweet I had to share:

"This very moment there is an organ-grinder down the street playing and singing -- it is wonderful, it is the accidental and insignificant things in life which are significant." How perfect a sentiment for the start of the weekend. Now go out and see how many significantly insignificant things you can experience.

Back to Work

We're wrapping up the long Thanksgiving weekend here in the US. A sense of melancholy has drifted over our home as the reality of heading back to work tomorrow sets in. Let's face it, getting back into a typical routine is never easy after you've had some time off. But I read a quote yesterday (in a fantastic book I plan to write more about soon...) that is the perfect antidote to the Sunday-evening blues.

"Let's become more creative, more loving, and more joyful in our work, care more for the earth and each other, and reinvent work as the joy it is meant to be - as the expression of our heart's purpose." - Will Tuttle, PhD

Now get out there and kick some ass.

Thought for the day

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"Tortoise walks about red earth
going nowhere
in plenty of time"

Beautiful Thought

Crescent Moon by Carlos E. Hernandez via asod

For today, just a simple, beautiful message.

"Though it is reflected in a thousand rivers, the moon itself is only one."

Starting Small

Photo via Engaging Conflict

What are you doing today to achieve the life you dream of?

No, planning, pondering, ruminating, thinking, contemplating, speculating and musing do not qualify as "doing" in this context. What are you actually, physically, doing about your dream?

Often times it can be difficult to make the transition from thinking about the life we want for ourselves and actually making it a reality. Certainly, it is easier to daydream about what a better job would be like than it is to take action (get the training necessary for a new position, put together a revised resume, set up lunch meetings with people who might be able to help) - but only the latter option will set you on the course for attaining your goals. The former will likely lead to frustration and growing dissatisfaction.

Sometimes we put off taking action for so long that it seems almost impossible to start. We begin making excuses for why we cannot take action now (I can't exercise this week because I have too much work to do! I won't start my diet until next month because I have too many parties to attend and it will ruin my efforts! I couldn't possibly start saving my money now because the new fall designs are in at Nordstrom!) and slowly we start to believe them. If we make excuses long enough, they create a mental block that can prevent us from taking action and leave us feeling like we have no control over our own destiny. Fortunately, this is not the case - we do have control.

So how can we begin to take action when simply getting out of bed in the morning can sometimes seem too daunting a task? Start small. Make a little action today, do something small that will set you in the right direction and recognize yourself for what you accomplished.

Why start small instead of embarking on a new undertaking with a big bang? Starting small gives us the benefit of being able to take action, to start doing, today. No matter the circumstances we are living in there is always a small action that can be taken to make progress towards a goal. Also, starting small is an easy way to break the cycle of excuses and self-doubt we create for ourselves. For example, if you spend 15 minutes working out this morning you realize that despite a busy work schedule you can make an investment in your health. Slowly, the excuses you once made will begin to melt away.

What are you doing today to achieve the life you dream of?

Go ahead and take a single, small action that will bring you closer to your dream. Congratulate yourself for taking that first step, and get excited to take another tomorrow. Over time your confidence will build and your small actions may grow. 15 minute jog this morning? By next week 20 minutes will be a challenge you are ready for. Edited your resume this weekend? Sending off 10 job applications by Friday is much more attainable now. Tried a new, healthy breakfast this morning you loved? Swapping your usual danish (or worse yet, coffee and a stick of gum) for more nutritious fare will come much easier now that you have a yummy alternative.

Sometimes we do not take small actions because they seem insignificant; do not be fooled. Small actions are the catalysts for big change. Need more convincing? Maybe the words of Lao Tzu, Chinese Philosopher and Taoist big-cheese, will speak to you:

Great trees grow from the smallest shoots;
a terraced garden, from a pile of earth,
and a journey of a thousand miles
begins by taking the initial step.

Renewal

Photo via Before I Sleep

"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense." Ralph Waldo Emerson

This quote always brings me a sense of renewal after a challenging day. The rain is joining in tonight, rinsing the wounds of a hurtful comment, clearing the dust of an office bought, and washing away the gentle film that settles in when stagnation replaces change. I am feeling ready for some change myself. Disenchanted with the status quo, it is time to shake things up and find some new inspiration. What isn't working for you lately? Today brings the chance to make a change for the better. Seize it with everything you've got.

Simple Poetry: The Haiku

Photo via The Painted Eye

Living more simply enables us to get to the point of things. When we free ourselves from excess (in its many forms), we have the opportunity to see the world around us more clearly and avoid confusion and distraction. When we free ourselves from excess communication, we are are challenged to share our perspectives carefully and accurately. 

Enter the haiku. This form of Japanese poetry is concise and follows a 5,7,5 morea (what we in the West would interpret as a syllable) structure. The rules of traditional haiku poetry are rather strict, such as requiring that certain seasonal words be used to reference the natural environment and the incorporation of a kirej (also called a "cutting word", there is no english equivalent for a kirej but Wikipedia tries to explain it here). But despite these traditional rules the lyrically challenged can rejoice, because haiku need not rhyme. 

I really enjoy haiku poetry for its brevity and clarity. It's amazing to me the emotions and visuals some haiku writers are able to convey in a mere 17 morea. Check out some of the poems below and see what you think. Note that many of these are translations and thus the english syllable count may not correlate directly to the 5,7,5 structure. 

The winds that blow-

ask them, which leaf on the tree

will be next to go. - Kyoshi Takahama

After killing 

a spider, how lonely I feel

in the cold of night. - Masaoka Shiki

First autumn morning:

the mirror I stare into

shows my father's face. - Kijo Murakami

In all this cool

is the moon also sleeping?

There in the pool? - Ryusui

Covered with flowers,

instantly I'd like to die

in this dream of ours! - Etsujin

Regardless of how you feel about the poetry, I think there is a lot to be learned from the great haiku masters. What could you be communicating more clearly? Why aren't you? How simply can you express your feelings? Now go ahead and do it! The more clear and simple you can be, the more effective your communication will become (and the less frustrating misunderstandings will occur).

Uncertainty

This quote sums up so well my thoughts of today. While I can't say I've embraced uncertainty myself (okay - I've forged an all out war with the creature, planner in hand, attempting to schedule every minutiae of my future), I'm beginning to realize my attempts have been entirely in vain. It's time to make peace with uncertainty, or at least quit pretending I will one day seize control.

After a Long Day

Flowers by Andy Warhol found here

"I'm afraid that if you look at a thing long enough, it loses all of its meaning." Andy Warhol

I am quite certain that Andy was not referencing my graduate marketing case paper when he first uttered these words.  Nevertheless, after 5 hours of writing, rewriting, formatting, and editing, it too began to lose all meaning.  I like to think of Andy and other eccentric artists and thinkers after I have had a long and stressful day of schoolwork and ponder what they would have to say about it.   Well, since Andy was one of the best marketers of all time, known mostly for his pop-art prints of Cambell's Soup cans, I'd like to think he would tell me to quit worrying about a silly marketing paper and get back to him when I had something of consequence to discuss.  

A Discussion of Sustainable Viability

We had a two-hour long discussion in my Creating Sustainable Enterprise class today about whether or not sustainability is good for business.  As our professor facilitated the exchange of endless information regarding how a company's bottom line is affected by the nebulous buzzword that is "sustainability", my mood quickly deflated from excitement to something resembling hopelessness.  

We have had this same discussion for the past three quarters.  At one point I was confident that I would eventually learn how businesses create sustainable models, but I am losing faith that the discussion will ever reach that point.  

The issue of sustainability is one I find incredibly interesting and challenging.  It is a topic I look forward to writing about more in the near future. For now, however, the words of E. O. Wilson, one of my favorite authors and theorists, will have to do.  After four years of drowning in business information, statistics, and industry reviews, I could really use some good old fashioned wisdom.