There are three types of flight
A honeybee takes in her lifetime
They are:
The orientation flight,
The scouting flight and
The foraging flight.
There are useful analogies between
The honeybee flights
And the journeys a young person
Takes when leaving home
For the first time. For each flight
Is different, you see.
The orientation flight is designed
To learn how to get back home.
There is no point in going out
Of the nest and lose your way back.
So the orientation flight refines
Your homing insinct
The foraging flight is a well-worn path
Which many other bees have flown.
The knowledge is passed on by a ritual
Called the "waggle dance".
The more vigorous the dance,
The greater the source of food.
The riskiest flight is the scouting flight.
This is a leap into the unknown
There are no maps. No tribal knowledge.
No leaders to follow. Just instinct.
Many scouting flights do not bear fruit
And many scouts die on the wing.
As humans, we all have an innate
Pioneering spirit of adventure.
A call to explore the unknown.
Which would you rather bee?
A newbee, a forager or a scout?
I know which one I'd rather bee!
Let the words flow onto the paper
So that you can feel the scratch.
Feel the texture of the paper
Underneath your writing hand.
Feel the flow of black graphite
As it runs off the tip of your pencil
Creating the next letter
In the word
In the sentence
In the paragraph
Of the chapter
Of your next book!
The whole experience being guided
From somewhere else.
Written in a space of timelessness.
Written in a space that is yours alone.
Written in a space of pure potential!
Black on white.
Written as if you are in the story
Guided by characters that are performing
In front of you - true to form.
Written as an observer of human frailty
Woven into a storyline that is not yet
Completely obvious - even to you!
You are but a hollow bone.
A reed vibrating to the dance of time.
A pool of water reflecting what is true.
A breath of wind blowing onto other's faces.
A timeless channel of pure consciousness.
Just observing what's obvious.
Come! Join me in my land of plenty!
Let the flowers bloom;
Let the birds sing;
Let the music play;
Let the rich tapestry of colours
Be woven into our future!
In classical Greek Mythology, Persephone (Who was also known as Kore or Cora) Was the daughter of Zeus and Demeter. Hades abducted her to his underworld Where she lives before returning in spring To cause the cycle of life to continue.
Even though it is now springtime in the North Cora has drawn humanity in her underworld In a way not seen for a generation. This prolonged winter is out-of-sync with The natural seasons, but gives us time to reflect And become more conscious of the world around us.
How should we best prepare for Cora’s return? Many minds are mulling on this at the moment. They say that even when she returns, The world will never be the same again Our expectations, our structures, our systems They will all have to change.
So, for each of us, we have an opportunity. We can spring clean our lives before her return We can make a list or an inventory Of those things we like and want to keep And those things that we want to let go of. In preparation for Cora’s return.
Deeper than that, we can choose to make New life choices that affect other people Use the time to pray for, ponder and meditate On a better world for all. To reconnect to our own true nature and To remember the fragility of humanity.
More than anything, to rediscover our ability To create and nurture deeper relationships With the things that matter most to us And to simplify our lives by reducing clutter And unnecessary noise in our busy lives. So we are truly ready for Cora’s return
When people ask me what I do, I tend to freeze. I dislike labels. If I have to be labelled I prefer to be known as a Polymath. Something like that. And yet that doesn’t help When you are looking for your next piece of work. The market is skewed towards hiring specialists.
The world of HR and recruitment love labels. It somehow makes the hiring process less risky For them when they can you put you into a box. Specialisms, industry knowledge, groupthink. It’s a disease which is rife and one where Renaissance (wo)man stands no chance!
How can generalists become more useful? Some give back by working as a volunteer. Charitable work is very is rewarding But does not pay the bills. Others enter academia to become Priests to the religion that is education.
Others become authors or artists. Yet in business Creativity clashes with corporate straight jackets. Squashed between policies and boring routines We need a revolution! A revolution In the way that cognitive diversity is Recognised, commissioned and rewarded.
Ahah! I hear you say! It’s up to the generalist To market their skills and get themselves a job! However, generalists don’t like being tied-down To particular job descriptions. They don’t like Being put into a box. They are too inquisitive, Onto the next idea before the last has closed.
What if there was a pool of generalists Who could be engaged for an hour, day or week? They know lots of things about many things And can challenge like the Court Jester. Crazy ideas might lead to a great product or service. Who would commission them? Would you? And why?
As we enter a new year of a new decade, have you Ever thought about how effective your plans are At helping you achieve your objectives? Winston Churchill once said: “Plans are of little importance, But planning is essential”.
Have you also wondered whether alternative strategies Might produce better results to get you there faster? And how the plan will go down with the rest of the team? Planning is one of the riskiest activities we undertake (And with the undertaker is where many plans end up!) Wherever you are, it’s never too late to start planning!
How can we give our plans the greatest chance of success? Aside from Churchill, many great leaders have determined That is is the planning process that is most valuable. The end-result of a published plan being far less important. Yet without setting your sights on creating the latter, The former is very unlikely to happen!
Some people (like me) think in pictures Other people prefer words or spreadsheets. So it is important that the plan is gamed-out From a number of different views or perspectives, Each one providing valuable insights into areas That might cause problems down the line.
Involving the wider team from the outset is vital. A plan that has no buy-in from them is bound to fail. It is the planning process that gets the buy-in By negotiating key friction points on the way ahead. Yet too much sharing can also be counter-productive Leading to too many cooks spoiling the broth.
In our modern-day world of information overload, Artificial intelligence, social media and fake news, It is ofttimes difficult to understand Where things are going and where they might end up. The planning process is more important than ever, Even though the plan will end up being pretty worthless!
If you would like to book a free 15-minute slot In the month of January 2020 (no strings attached) To discuss a plan you are currently working on So I can give you three valuable ideas To make it a better plan, then please book me here: https://calendly.com/gameyourplan/three-ideas
New Year’s Eve 1989/90 – Licenced – Alamy Stock Photo D: 2A84TB4 (RM) – Fall of the Berlin Wall
It was the turning of the 89/90 decade. I was in Berlin for New Year’s Eve. Fireworks were only allowed then To celebrate the turning of the year. I was at a party well away from the wall But had this urge to move up on up to it.
We made it just in time! A large crowd swarming Five hundred metres way up to the Brandenburger Tor. That symbolic centre of both the wall and Berlin herself. There was a determined push towards the gate Both in front and behind us, surging like a tidal wave As if the whole crowd moved with a collective psyche.
And then the fireworks began. Lighting the sky above. The dark shadow of the gate ahead, I could move Neither back, nor left, nor right, but only forwards. As more and more people joined the push Towards the tiny gap only created a few weeks before On, on, on, there was no going back.
I then realised I had no passport. My friend from Berlin Was allowed to go through with no papers, but I should not. Too late! The powerful crowd took that decision for me. We were pushed through the tiny gap and there – On the other side were two 12 ft replica cans of Coca-Cola! The American marketing machine had beaten us to it!
Illegal or not, there were no guards: it was a surge to freedom. We were discharged out onto the Unter den Linden, The boulevard of lime trees on the Eastern side of the gate. A calm peace after the hectic push and scrabble. We spent an hour or so soaking up the atmosphere Before returning back home to the Western side.
Elias Canetti, summed up in his 1960s book “Crowds and Power”: The crowd always wants to grow – it has no natural boundaries. Within the crowd there is equality. Differences … are irrelevant. The crowd loves destiny … it can never feel too dense. The crowd needs direction … and moves towards a goal. And so it was. The wall collapsed to create modern-day Europe.
Saint Nicholas was a Christian bishop He was born in about 280 in Patara, Lycia Which is in modern-day Turkey His parents both died when he was young And he used his inheritance to help The poor and the sick.
There are many legends surrounding Saint Nicholas He is supposed to have saved three men Who had been falsely accused and sentenced to death. He is said to have died on 6th December 343. His reputation went before him as a gift-giver As well as the protector of children and sailors.
So how does that explain where Santa Claus cames from? Well, his story as a Saint became popular in Europe Until the Reformation when Saints became unpopular. However, the Dutch kept celebrating his feast day On 6th December – children put out their shoes at night and In the morning would discover the gifts he had left for them.
In the 1700s, Dutch immigrants took the legend To the Americas where he was known as “Sint Nikolaas” Or more commonly by his nickname “Sinterklaas” There, he went through many transformations to become Known by his present-day name of Santa Claus, although The present-giving was moved to the Christmas festival.
Clement Clarke Moore wrote a poem in 1820 called “An Account of a Visit from Saint Nicholas”. He described Santa Claus as a jolly, heavy man Who comes down the chimney to leave presents For deserving children. He also drove a sleigh pulled by Magical Reindeer flying through the sky.
Cartoonist Thomas Nast added to the legend in 1881 Drawing Santa with a red suit trimmed with white fur. In the early 1930s, Haddon Sundblom illustrated A marketing campaign for the Coca-Cola Company. And so the kind, charitable bishop from Turkey morphed To became the jolly Christmas icon we know so well today.
A Call for Agent Provocateurs, Revolutionaries & Change Agents
I’m often out-spoken. It has caused me problems in the past. But I’ve never done anything like this before. I know I am not the only one reflecting these sentiments. Sometimes I challenge because I believe that is what is needed To change the system – or at least to draw attention to The main areas that could and should be improved.
I have met only a few of the people who are here. We live in a virtual world of listeners and applauders. Most online fora are self-congratulatory, ego-boosters for the author. People feel uneasy to join in if there is any dissension or (c)rudeness For fear of going against the crowd like the cheeky monkey That’ll have their legs broken so that they are eaten by the lions first!
Agent Provocateurs, Revolutionaries & Change Agents! Where are you? You can hide away in the corner Whinging & whining about the structures & systems that don’t work. Without the guts or enthusiasm to change anything – mainly because The whole darn system is so fragile, it might break anytime – and YOU don’t want to be accused of being the person who finally broke it!
Where are the innovators, the disruptors, the risk-takers? The folk who are up-ending the Establishment (with a BIG “E”)? Where are the young folk who want to bring on the change? They are in the cool start-ups, earning peanuts – for the chance Of creating something new. And one day, they’ll say: “I was there”! It’s a casino, for sure, but a lot more fun than those tied into BIG E!
Not all ideas come to fruition. You never know which ones will work. But that is not the reason to keep the ideas flowing. There is a big difference between a good idea and an idea which Has support, is properly funded and is successfully implemented. Without good ideas, you never get momentum for real change. It’s a clash between different types of people, thinking and processes.
The only action that comes from this is that the ideas keep flowing. The only leadership required is one of keeping an open mind. The only communications skills required are for active listening. Good ideas will stick and grow. Not-so-good ones will get overtaken. Presence over process. Curiosity over Knowhow and “BIG E”. Keep listening and I’ll keep posting! Give me a role and I’ll step up!
There are too many things going on. I’m stressed, RED with anger And getting over-emotional I can’t do everything! I’ve got burn-out! PLEASE HELP ME!
The future’s bright, The future’s ORANGE So they used to say! Time to get a grip! Recast my ambitions And create a new future
How best to do that? Listen to myself and others For a while. Don’t rush! GOLDEN friends who know me well And care about me: they know the answers It’s all going to be fine!
Step into the circle, the WHITE zone Take a break. Get some rest. Sleep in. Then – Move around. Walk outside. Eat more plants. Enjoy life! Life’s for living, not for stressing!
It’s time to get creative! Write out a list of all I want to do Like the colour PURPLE, What am I passionate about? Which small projects can I get underway NOW That will help me to achieve my dreams?
No point in feeling BLUE More complex things require the help of others Important things need to be negotiated So things end up as WIN-WIN Don’t rush it! There’s an underlying A collective intention that needs uncovering.
And then all becomes lined-up. All becomes clear! Time for action! GREEN light for go! Action with clarity and purpose No one can stop me now!
When faced with a challenge, some folks lark about Thinking it’s funny. I used to do that sometimes. But as I get older, I find that those that behave like this Are oft lacking some training, skill or knowledge. Perhaps even covering up some learning difficulty … Because they have not applied themselves to MASTERY.
I was reminded by this last week by my flute teacher His name is James and he has a first-class degree in Music. He’s versatile enough to play in both a symphony orchestra As well as in a jazz or blues band. Read music and improv – After years of what he calls “shedding” it (which means Long, tedious practice in the garden shed!)
James has helped me to re-learn the Art of Mastery. I’m not sure if you ever took music lessons at school My first piano teacher was very solemn and stunk of perfume She didn’t like my casual attitude to learning. I hardly ever practised one week to the next And she became more and more frustrated by me!
She taught me FACE and “Every Good Boy Deserves Fruit” (As well as others I can’t remember for the Bass Clef). These have been useful with the flute because All the notes you play is in the Treble Clef. Since then, I have not read music. I’ve just “larked around” But if you want to play with others, you need to read music.
What does it take to become a Master in a given field? Malcolm Gladwell said in his book Outliers that It requires 10,000 hours of practice. That’s catchy and easy to remember but completely false! It’s not the number of hours that are important. It’s about the quality of time spent practising & rehearsing.
James tells me there are two types of students. Those who want to learn to read and play in an orchestra And those who just want to play by ear. I used to be the latter, but am now re-learning the fun Of reading music for the first time. It’s a slog, but getting easier as each week goes by.
James wasn’t born when I started to learn to play the piano But I still remember my first teacher’s perfume. Yuk! James is many years younger and wiser than me, He has taught me how to learn (again) And he has three words he uses to describe the Art: DISCIPLINE, FOCUS and PRECISION.
Dedicated to James Penny – my awesome flute teacher who gives me lessons over Zoom every week (or so). Let him know I sent you!
