Staying UP in Down Times

**************************************************
>SIMPLICITY and SUCCESS:
Creating What Matters MOST in Life & Work
Vol. 5, #3, January 22, 2007 All rights reserved.
Bruce Elkin: Personal/Professional Life/Success Coach for 20 Years
http://www.BruceElkin.com
Sent to confirmed subscribers only. List is never shared or sold!
>View current & back issues of my full newsletter on my blog at
http://createwhatmattersmost.blogspot.com/
**************************************************

"Those who do not create the future they want
must endure the future they get.
-- Draper L. Kaufman, Jr., in Systems One

Hi {!firstname},
Signs of spring are all around us, finally.

After the darkest, wettest, gloomiest, windiest, stormiest, almost
the snowiest mid-winter on record up here, that perennial light at
the end of the tunnel is showing up for a little longer each day.
And I'm delighted.

One of the things I like most about this time of year is that just
as the natural world begins to quicken, so do we.

We start to awaken from our long winter's slumber. Our energy
rises. Our eyes twinkle again. And we start to get out and do
things, to act on what matters to us.

But, not all of us. Some take longer than others to quicken. And
some stay stuck in a kind of down and depressed sense of
skepticism, or worse, cynicism about what can be done, if anything.

Focused firmly on problems and frustrated that they cannot find
real and lasting solutions to those problems, many begin to despair.

"It's hopeless," I hear in meetings and conversations and coaching
sessions. "It's too big. There's nothing we can do to stop it."

The sun may be shining outside, but it doesn't shine in the inner
reaches of those who experience such hopelessness.

But I believe, as Einstein did, that, "We do not know enough to
despair."

And that hope is key. Valclav Havel, one of the architects of the
Czech revolution against the Soviets, pointed out that "[Hope] is
not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the
certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns
out."

In other words, hope is the capacity to do what you love because
you firmly believe it is the right thing to do--for you.

In this months' Feature Article, "Staying Up in Down Times", I try
to make a case for hope. For doing what matters to us, if only
because it matters.

And hopefully, it'll matter to others, and to the world.
---------




>1.FEATURE ARTICLE: STAYING UP IN DOWN TIMES
==================================
How To Embrace Life's Messiness and Create What Matters Most

"The best way to predict the future is to create it."
--Alan Kay

Climate change. Peak Oil. Ice caps melting. Wars over oil.

"It's a huge mess," a client lamented. "How can we get rid of this
complex, depressing messiness that threatens to overwhelm us?"

"Maybe getting rid of it is not our only option," I suggested.
"Perhaps the only way out is through."

Complexity, I told her, is a critical part of life. It keeps
novels interesting, fine wine enjoyable, and living systems
resilient and healthy.

"Let's face it," said Limits to Growth author Donella Meadows, "the
universe is messy. That's what makes the world interesting, that's
what makes it beautiful, and that's what makes it work."

Messiness, then, is best not seen as a problem--in life, or in you.
You don't have to get rid of it. You can't "solve" it. And you
needn't be depressed by it.

Instead of dwelling on problems and the impossibility of solving
them, use life's messiness as raw material for creating what truly
matters to, and your world.


THE LIMITS OF PROBLEM SOLVING

Typically, problem-solving focuses on relief, not results.

Most of what we call "problem solving" aims to get rid of
intensity. It focuses on and tries to ameliorate the pain,
frustration, or conflict associated with our problems.

The auto, for example, was introduced to Victorian Europe as "the
SOLUTION to pollution" caused by carraige horses. Right! How's
that working for us?

In problem-solving, action is usually not taken until pressure for
a solution becomes intense. Often, we need to feel pain or anger
or desperate frustration to force ourselves to act.

But, if our action works, it reduces the intensity. Less intensity
leads to less action. Our attention shifts to more intense
concerns. We have other fires to put out. But without continued
action, the problem remains, and often comes back worse.

The Rand corporation showed how the US Drug Enforcement Agency's
so-called War On Drugs drove out all the small players, boosted the
price of crack cocaine, and created space for big, organized
criminals to take over the drug trade.

At the end of every DEA "war on drugs", Rand found more circulating
to more people.

This, and other wars cause worse problems than those they were
meant to solve. The cure becomes worse than the disease.

Aand you do not rally a population to live in a more environmentally
sustainable way just by scaring them with global warming horror
stories. Scare them too much, and they'll just throw their arms in
despair, and say, "What's the use?"

What then are we to do?

How can we stay up, positive, and focused on what matters in these
difficult times?


EMBRACE REALITY; CREATE WHAT MATTERS

To stay UP in down times, embrace the messiness you encounter, then
transcend it by shifting your focus to creating what matters
most.

Creating is about focusing on what you truly care about and want
to see exist--and taking action to bring it into being.

Creating begins with a VISION of a result you want to create.

A vision is a clear, compelling mental picture of a completed
result. It does not have to be realistic. It just has to be
something you care deeply about and want to see exist. Vision is a
way of clearly expressing what you are passionate about.

You can have a vision of a just, sustainable, and healthy world.

You can have a vision of a just, sustainable, and healthy city--or
neighborhood, or business, or family, or a just, sustainable, and
healthy life.

You can have a vision of wild places such as the Great Bear
Rainforest, and all those who find habitat there, preserved for ever.

You can have a vision of clean, sparkling stream, teeming with
salmon fry, meandering through your neighborhood, with kids and
grandparents fishing side by side along its banks.

You can envision anything you care about and truly want to create.

When vision is clear enough that you'd recognize it if you created
it, the next step is to ground vision in an accurate, objective
assessment of CURRENT REALITY.

As well as knowing what you want, you must also know where you are
starting, and with what. You must know what the current state of
the result is, at each moment along the way to its creation.

A clear, accurate, and objective (emotionally neutral) assessment
of the current state of your result provides you a solid platform
for action in favour of your envisioned result.

Start your assessment of current reality with what you already
have. List strengths and assets, resources and contacts, not just
problems and obstacles.

Describe reality, don't judge it!

Say, "We lose bear habitat at "x" hectares a year," not, "Grizzlies
are doomed."

When facing difficult steps, don't say "I can't do that;" say, "I
can't do that, YET."

Making current reality emotionally neutral helps you take action
when things are difficult. It turns depressing problems into
engaging challenges. It can turn despair into hope.

When you hold vision and reality in mind together, a "CREATIVE
TENSION" forms. It generates energy for action, integrates
rationality and intuition, and provides a framework for ACTION.

See your actions as experiments, and see failure as feedback.
Create lots, fail lots, and learn lots. Gradually, you will teach
yourself to bridge the gap between your vision and reality.

Then, celebrate your success and use the energy of completion to
start your next creation.

By embracing life's messiness as raw material for creating, it is
easier to say up, focused, and effective--even in down and
difficult times.
-----------------------------
Bruce Elkin is author of Simplicity and Success: Creating the Life
You Long For. He is also an internationally known Personal,
Professional, and Organizational Renewal Coach. Get his free
eNewsletter at http://www.bruceelkin.com/free.html For more info,
visit his website at http://www.BruceElkin.com and his blog at
http://createwhatmattersmost.blogspot.com
--------------------------------------------------------



2. AN ACTION TO HELP GET YOU STARTED, OR KEEP YOU GOING
==================
This idea comes from Caspar Davis, a reader and one of Victoria's
most effective advocates for sustainable ways of living.

"I have just discovered (another) reason to fly WESTJET, if you
need to fly. If you buy your ticket through
http://www.offsetters.com/ your ticket
will cost no more, but WestJet will purchase carbon offsets.

I think it is much better NOT to fly if you can possibly ignore it,
but buying carbon offsets is at least a painless way to mitigate
the damage you cause by doing so.
-------------



3. "COACHING for CREATING WHAT MATTERS MOST!"
=========================================
> WOULD YOU LIKE TO DISCOVER WHAT YOU LOVE
> -- AND CREATE A LIFE THAT SHOWS IT!

How are you doing with those New Year's Resolutions?
Making progress, or are you:
- Feeling stuck? Stalled? Drifting? Ready to quit?
- In transition? Not sure what to do next?
- Facing complicated challenges with no real organizing framework?
- Thinking about simplifying but don't want to go live in a tent?

>Would you like to be:
* Clear about what to do and how to go about it?
* Focused, and able to do more with less stress?
* Feel on track toward important results --
in spite of problems, circumstances, and adversity?
*Feel free, energized & full of zest for life, work, or...
> My "Creating What Matters MOST" program can help.

I work with capable people who struggle with complicated life/work
challenges, and help them make the complex simple. I can help you
develop the SKILLS, STRUCTURE, and SUPPORT to clarify what you
truly love--and create a life (and work) that show it!

I have 2-3 spaces open in February, and am interviewing for March
and April. If you'd like my fr.ee 7-page info package, e-mail me
with "Coaching Package" as subject at Bruce@BruceElkin.com
--------------------------




> 4. RESOURCES I RECOMMEND:
==============================
* MARKETING AND WEBSITE TOOLS:
Thinking about upgrading your website and marketing
approach? I've used these products with great results and
recommend them without reservation.

* For info or to purchase a copy of THE WEBSITE TOOLKIT,
please go to http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=73714
* THE ACTION PLAN TOOL KIT can make designing and
implementing a marketing plan easier, effective, and fun.
Go to http://www.1shoppingcart.com/app/?af=73714


> * THE SOUNDER SLEEP SYSTEM:
Can't sleep? Need help relaxing and drifting off?
Get THE INSOMNIA SOLUTION by Michael Krugman. It's a great book
on how to get the deep, restful sleep you crave. I use MP3 files
in which Michael teaches soothing, restful guided exercises. For
info, got to http://www.soundersleep.com/start.php?mpuid=1215


* A GREAT NEWSLETTER BY AN EX-CLIENT OF MINE:
If you are interested in Health, Environment, and Negotiation,
please check out the eNewsletter HEN. Written by Julia
Menard, a Victoria-based coach, and mediation expert, HEN is
an excellent source of info. E-mail
with "sub.scribe HEN Musings" in the subject line.


* FR.EE VALUES and HAPPINESS ASSESSMENT:
Martin Seligman, author of Authentic Happiness, offers an
excellent way to support you in creating happiness in daily life.
Go to www.authentichappiness.org and do his Values-in-Action
Signature Strengths Survey. it will help you increase your
authentic happiness. I do it. It works.
-----------------



> 6. THE LAST WORD: QUOTABLE QUOTES
=============================
"Do not depend on the hope of results ... concentrate on the value
... and the truth of the work itself."
-- Thomas Merton

"You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves."
-- Mary Oliver, "The Wild Geese"

"It must be borne in mind that the tragedy of life doesn't lie in
not reaching your goal. It lies in having no goal to reach. It is
not a calamity to die with dreams unfilled, but it is a calamity
not to dream. It is not a disgrace not to reach the stars, but it
is a disgrace not to have any stars to reach. Not failure, but low
aim, is the real sin."
-- Benjamin Mays

"[E]ven in our serious environmental concern, we still fall short
of recognizing ourselves as part of a much larger living organism.
It is one thing to be careful with our environment so it will last
and remain benign; it is quite another to know deeply that our
environment, like ourselves, is part of the body of an earth
organism."
-- Elisabet Sahtouris

"There will always be problems and challenges to meet, but I no
longer use them to postpone my happiness."
-- Richard Carlson [In Memoriam]
------------



> THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
==============================
THANKS for forwarding my newsletter and short posts. New
subscribers are vital in keeping the newsletter alive and thriving.
So please keep forwarding them to friends and associates. I
appreciate your support.

If you received this from a friend, please sign up for your own sub
at http://www.bruceelkin.com/newsletter.html
You'll also get some neat fr.ee gift.s!

All the best! Peace and hope!
Bruce
***************************************************
>BRUCE ELKIN: Personal/Professional Results & Renewal Coach
Author:- Simplicity & Success: Creating the Life You Long For
- Emotional Mastery: Manage Your Moods & Create What
Matters--With Whatever Life Gives You
> http://www.BruceElkin.com 250-388.7210 Skype Me!
**************************************************
All material herein is copyright © Bruce Elkin, 2006.
-----------------

* THE SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION SECTION:
=============================
>CHECK OUT MY BOOKS AND E-BOOKS AT
http://www.bruceelkin.com/simplicity.html


> WOULD YOU LIKE TO DISCOVER WHAT YOU LOVE
-- AND CREATE A LIFE THAT SHOWS IT!

> Simplicity and Success is a different kind of simple living book.

It is also a different kind of success book. It's a book that will
help you slow down, relax, and integrate a simple life with success
that truly matters.

This life changing book can not only help you create both
simplicity and success, but just about anything that matters to you
in life, work, and relationships.

"Bruce Elkin does a great job showing that voluntary simplicity
doesn't mean doing without -- rather, simple living is about
fine-tuning your life to achieve your most important dreams."
- Janet Luhrs, The Simple Living Guide

More info at: http://www.bruceelkin.com/simplicity-book.html
----------------------------


> DO YOU EVER FEEL STRESSED, ANXIOUS, DOWN, or DEPRESSED?
==================================
Would you like to learn how to take the drama out of your daily
life and replace it with calm clarity, coherence, and successful
results?

Check out my ebook EMOTIONAL MASTERY. It can help you manage
your moods and create what matters--with whatever life gives you!
http://www.bruceelkin.com/emotional-mastery.html
---------------------

"I HAVE A DREAM!" -- Martin Luther King, Jr.

**************************************************
"SIMPLY SUCCESS" - SHORT POST - January 17, 2007
=======================================
>Helping You Create What Matters MOST in Life and Work
Bruce Elkin: Life/Work Renewal Coach
Personal - Professional - Organizational
http://www.BruceElkin.com
Sent to subscribers only. Names are never shared or sold!
**************************************************

Hi All,
Monday was Martin Luther King Day in the US. Martin Luther King, Jr. was, I think, a man who deserves to be honoured around the world.
So I'm devoting this short post to his memory, and his words.

Back some 20 years ago, when I was taking the Advanced Instructor Training for Robert Fritz's Technology for Creating program, we watched MLK Jr.'s famous "I have a dream" speech on TV in a darkened hotel room in Seattle.

We sat, spellbound by his words, his ideas, his charismatic power, and, mostly, by his vision of a new kind of world. King, along with JFK were masters of invoking a clear and compelling vision. The power of King's visionary "I have a dream…" speech stays with me to this day.

Thanks to Bob Banner at Hopedance Magazine and his generous colleagues, I'm able to provide you the following excerpt from King's speech, and a link to a YouTube video of the whole thing.

If you haven't watched, I highly recommend you set aside a quiet half-hour with folks you care about and settle in and do so. It is just a wonderful example of authentic vision and values in action.
----------

I Have A Dream
By Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Delivered on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. on August 28, 1963

The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges. But there is something that I must say to my people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.

I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal." I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at a table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. I have a dream today.

I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope. This is the faith with which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.

This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring." And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania! Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado! Let freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California! But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia! Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee! Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.

When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual, "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"

Note: Don't miss the full text and streaming video of this inspiring speech available here
.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born January 15, 1929 and assassinated at the young age of 39 on April 4, 1968.
------------------



> ARE YOU DOING WHAT YOU LOVE?
Would you like to create what truly matters to you?
===========================================
But…
- Feeling stuck? Stalled? Drifting?
- In transition? Not sure what to do next?
- Facing complicated challenges with no organizing framework?
- Thinking about simplifying but don't want to go live in a tent?

>Would you like to be:
* Clear about what to do and how to go about it?
* Focused, and able to do more with less stress?
* Feel on track toward important results --
in spite of problems, circumstances, and adversity?

 

* Feel free, energized and full of zest for life, work, or …?



> If so, my CREATING WHAT MATTERS MOST coaching program can help.

I work with capable people who struggle with complicated life/work challenges, and help them make the complex simple. I can help you develop the SKILLS, STRUCTURE, and SUPPORT to clarify what you truly love--and create a life (and work) that show it!

I have several spaces open in mid-January and February, and am interviewing for March. If you'd like my fr.ee 7-page info package, e-mail me with "Coaching Package" as subject at Bruce@BruceElkin.com
---------------



>THIS WEEK'S QUOTES:
====================
"The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral, begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy. Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it. Through violence you may murder the liar, but you cannot murder the lie, nor establish the truth. Through violence you murder the hater, but you do not murder hate. In fact, violence merely increases hate. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."
-- Martin Luther King, Jr., quote from his 1967 book Where Do We Go From Here?

-------



Thanks to everyone who wrote commiserating with me about my rotator cuff tear, and helping me see that many people go through this minor trauma. It helped!

And thanks for forwarding my newsletters and short posts to others.
Have a great week. And a great year!
Bruce
**************************************************
> BRUCE ELKIN:
Personal, Professional, and Organization Renewal Coach
>Call: 250.388.7210 www.BruceElkin.com Or Skype Me!
**************************************************

> View the current issue of my full newsletter at
http://createwhatmattersmost.blogspot.com/
-------------------

> EVER FEEL STRESSED, ANXIOUS, DOWN, or DEPRESSED?
==================================
Would you like to learn how to take the drama out of your daily life and replace it with calm, clarity, coherence, and successful results?

Check out my ebook EMOTIONAL MASTERY. It can help you manage your moods and create what matters most--with whatever life gives you!
http://www.bruceelkin.com/emotional-mastery.html
---------------------

Accepting What Is; Creating What Matters

**************************************************
"SIMPLY SUCCESS" - SHORT POST - January 9, 2007
=======================================
>Helping You Create What Matters MOST in Life and Work
Bruce Elkin: Life/Work Renewal Coach
Personal - Professional - Organizational
http://www.BruceElkin.com
Sent to subscribers only. Names are never shared or sold!
**************************************************

Maybe it is the gloomy winter, or maybe it is the torn rotator cuff in my right shoulder, but I am thinking a lot about "acceptance" lately.

I think there is a strong connection between simplicity, authentic success, and acceptance. Acceptance of reality (what is). Acceptance of other people. And, most important, self-acceptance.

Simplicity is not just about sorting out the material aspects of life. And success is not just getting more of that same material stuff.

Real and lasting simplicity and success are both about appreciating what works, discovering what matters, and taking action to create results you really care about.

Simple, authentic and lasting success comes, as Kate Wolf said in her song "You're Not Standing Like You Used To," when you "find something you really care about -- and live a life that shows it."

Creating that kind of simple, authentic success requires accepting--and transcending--the complex messiness that occurs in our lives, work, and relationships. And in our selves!

Messiness is not a problem, in life, or in you. You do not have to fix it. You can't "solve" it. But you can accept it, acknowledge it, and learn from it. Doing so makes it easier to rise above it.

When I found out that I had a "full thickness tear in the belly of the supraspinatus muscle" (part of my right rotator cuff), my life suddenly got messy and uncomfortable.

To the physical pain, I added mental and emotional pain. I began to worry that I might have to go through painful surgery and difficult rehab. I might not be able to work easily with my right arm in a sling. How would I write?

In spite of knowing better, I quickly slid into reactive problem-solving, trying to find ways to fix what I (personally) could not fix. Some of that was useful, but much of it was dysfunctional thinking that just made me feel worse emotionally.

"Why me?" I wailed to myself. "Why now?" "If only I hadn't hauled around all those heavy boxes books in the summer…?" "If only I'd gone to the gym faithfully for the last 3 years…?"

Worse, I staring making up negative scenarios about the worst that could happen to me. "They won't be able to fix it surgically. I'll be in pain for the rest of my life. I won't be able to cycle or ski. I'll get fat. People won't like me. I'm doomed!"

Yup, it got pretty messy there for a while. But I finally came to my senses. I realized I couldn't undo what was done, and began to accept reality as it is.

I shifted my focus to a vision of the results I truly want--"fit healthy shoulders and the ability to work and play well with full function."

Then I calmly outlined my current reality, including accepting the injury, and acknowledging my own responsibility in it.

Finally, I laid out a series of action steps designed to prepare myself for possible surgery, physically, mentally, and emotionally.

I embraced the mess that had bothered me so much, and, through vision-driven, reality-grounded action, I began to rise above it.

I see someone this week about pre-surgery rehab. I'm reading everything I can find on rotator cuff injuries, therapy, and rehabbing. I'm OK with the reality of what's happening, and not dwelling on the negatives and making myself feel miserable.

Accepting reality, focusing on what matters, and taking action to support it puts me well on my way to transcending my physical and emotional mess.

So, if soemthing in your life feels too complex, chaotic, or even overwhelming, take a deep breath, relax, and try to accept reality as a given. Step back from the "problem" and all those messy thoughts that come with a problem-focused stance.

Focusing on what you do NOT like and do NOT want--and trying to get rid of it --maybe bring you temporary relief. But it will not bring the real and lasting results you truly DO want.

Be grateful what you have that works. Steer off a vision of desired results, accept what is as given, and then ease your way through the messiness into simple, authentic success by making choices and taking actions that help you create what matters most.

These simple but powerful steps will help you embrace and transcend your mess. They will help you create real and lasting results that matter. And they'll make you feel a whole heck of a lot better.
------------------



> ARE YOU DOING WHAT YOU LOVE?
Would you like to create what truly matters to you?
===========================================
But…
- Feeling stuck? Stalled? Drifting?
- In transition? Not sure what to do next?
- Facing complicated challenges with no organizing framework?
- Thinking about simplifying but don't want to go live in a tent?
> If so, my CREATING WHAT MATTERS MOST coaching program can help.

I work with capable people who struggle with complicated life/work challenges, and help them make the complex simple. I can help you develop the SKILLS, STRUCTURE, and SUPPORT to clarify what you truly love--and create a life (and work) that show it!

If you'd like my fr.ee 7-page info package, e-mail me with "Coaching Package" as subject at Bruce@BruceElkin.com
---------------



>THIS WEEK'S QUOTES:
====================
"Flow with whatever is happening and let your mind be free. Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate."
-- Chang Tzu

"Grant me the grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things which should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish one from the other."
-- Reinhold Neibuhr

"Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, and confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow."
-- Melody Beattie

"Accept the pain, cherish the joys, resolve the regrets; then can come the best of benedictions -- "If I had my life to live over, I'd do it all the same"."
-- Joan McIntosh
-------



> EVER FEEL STRESSED, ANXIOUS, DOWN, OR DEPRESSED?
==================================
Would you like to learn how to take the drama out of your daily life and replace it with calm, clarity, coherence, and successful results?

Check out my ebook EMOTIONAL MASTERY. It can help you manage your moods and create what matters most--with whatever life gives you!
http://www.bruceelkin.com/emotional-mastery.html
---------------------

Henry Miller's Daily Practice Routine

**************************************************
"SIMPLY SUCCESS" - SHORT POST - January 3, 2007
=======================================
>Helping You Create What Matters MOST in Life and Work
Bruce Elkin: Life/Work Renewal Coach
Personal - Professional - Organizational
http://www.BruceElkin.com
Sent to subscribers only. Names are never shared or sold!
**************************************************

Hi ,
Happy New Year!

I hope you have a simple, sustainable, and successful 2007, one filled with love, friendship, and a focus on what truly matters.

My advice is go beyond "holding a vision" and waiting for results to manifest. Vision is critical, but, to create results, it helps to ground that vision in current reality so you know where you're starting.

And you have to learn how to shape your desired result through experimentation, exploration, innovation, and constant learning. We call this phase PRACTICE--and it is most important. Without it, there are rarely any results or rewards to celebrate.

But who wants to practice? Don't we all just want the results, preferably without the practice? Maybe, but so what? It won't work.

Last week, I said I'd share writer Henry Miller's Daily Work Schedule for 1932-33 to show how even the great grapple with the urge to skip practice. During this time, Miller lived very frugally in Paris where he was a proofreader for the local edition of the Chicago Tribune.

In an excerpt from A WRITER'S BOOK OF DAYS [New World Library, 1999] Judy Reeves lays out Miller's approach to practice.

COMMANDMENTS
1. Work on one thing at a time until finished.
2. Start no more new books, add no more new material to "Black Spring."
3. Don't be nervous. Work calmly, joyously, recklessly on whatever is in hand.
4 Work according to the program and not according to mood. Stop at the appointed time!
5. When you can't "create" you can "work".
6. Cement a little every day, rather than add new fertilizers.
7. Keep human! See people; go places, drink if you feel like it.
8. Don't be a drought-horse! Work with pleasure only.
9. Discard the Program when you feel like it--but go back to it the next day. CONCENTRATE. NARROW DOWN. EXCLUDE.
10.Forget the books you want to write. Think only of the book you "are" writing.
11 Write first and always. Painting, music, friends, cinema, all these come afterwards.

DAILY PROGRAM
Mornings:
If groggy, type notes and allocate, as stimulus
If in fine fettle, write.

Afternoons:
Work on section in hand, following plan of section scrupulously. No
intrusions, no diversions. Write to finish one section at a time, for
good and all.

Evenings:
See friends. Read in cafes.
Explore unfamiliar sections--on foot if wet, on bicycle if dry.
Write, if in mood, but only on Minor program
Paint if empty or tired.
Makes Notes. Make Charts, Plans. Make corrections of MS.

Note: Allow sufficient time during daylight to make an occasional visit to museums or an occasional sketch or an occasional bike ride. Sketch in cafes and trains and streets. Cut the movies! Library references once a week.
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Following his guidelines and sticking to a program--practicing!-- enabled Miller to become one of the great literary lions of his time.

If you want to turn your New Year's resolutions into completed results, I recommend you set up your own guidelines and program for creating those results--regardless of circumstances and/or moods.

If you haven't read my TURNING RESOLUTIONS INTO REALITY, you can do so on my blog at the December 22 entry at http://createwhatmattersmost.blogspot.com/

With vision, a good grasp of reality, and practice, practice, practice, you can greatly increase the chances of creating results that truly matter to you in 2007. All the best!
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> ARE YOU DOING WHAT YOU LOVE?
Would you like to create what truly matters to you?
===========================================
But…
- Feeling stuck? Stalled? Drifting?
- In transition? Not sure what to do next?
- Facing complicated challenges with no organizing framework?
- Thinking about simplifying but don't want to go live in a tent?

>Would you like to be:
* Clear about what to do and how to go about it?
* Able to do and create more with less stress and strain?
* Feel on track and moving toward important results --
in spite of problems, circumstances, and adversity?

 

* Feel free, energized and full of zest for life, work, or …?




> If so, my CREATING WHAT MATTERS MOST coaching program can help.

I work with capable people who struggle with complicated life/work challenges, and help them make the complex simple. By helping them develop their capacity to create, I help them get unstuck, on track, and moving toward results that truly matter.

>I can help you develop the SKILLS, STRUCTURE, and SUPPORT to clarify
what you truly love--and create a life (and work) that show it!

I have several spaces open in mid-January and February, and am interviewing for March. If you'd like my fr.ee 7-page info package, e-mail me with "Coaching Package" as subject at Bruce@BruceElkin.com
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>THIS WEEK'S QUOTES:
====================
"A day will never be anymore than what you make of it. Practice being a 'doer'!"
-- Josh S. Hinds

"Inspiration grows into full-scale creation through persistence and imagination."
-- Carol Lloyd

"Love is not automatic. It takes conscious practice and awareness, just like playing the piano or golf. However, you have ample opportunities to practice. Everyone you meet can be your practice session."
-- Doc Childre and Sara Paddison

"The better I get, the more I realize how much better I can get."
-- Martina Navratilova

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan ‘press on’ has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”

-- Calvin Coolidge
----------------


Thank for forwarding my newsletters and short posts to others. We have over 700 subscribers! I appreciate all your help. Thank you so much!

Have a great week. And a great year!
Bruce
**************************************************
> BRUCE ELKIN:
Personal, Professional, and Organization Renewal Coach
>Call: 250.388.7210 www.BruceElkin.com Or Skype Me!
**************************************************

> View the current issue of my full newsletter at
http://createwhatmattersmost.blogspot.com/

> FEEL STRESSED, ANXIOUS, DOWN, OR DEPRESSED?
==================================
Would you like to learn how to take the drama out of your daily life and replace it with calm, clarity, coherence, and successful results?

Check out my new ebook EMOTIONAL MASTERY. It can help you manage your moods and create what matters most--with whatever life gives you!
http://www.bruceelkin.com/emotional-mastery.html
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