7 Mindsets for Collaboration ~ Building Creative and Engaging Relationships
Collaboration happens when all voices are heard, and all contributions valued, within a safe and open space of dialogue. People feel included and are encouraged to actively participate in the discussions or creative process. Collaboration gets stuck when we believe our idea is the way. We cannot accommodate another viewpoint because we are so locked in our own. Time and tradition clouds the lens from which we view things. We get so accustomed to our ways that we fail to see the bright and new. We can empower collaboration by changing our mindset. A changed mindset can alter the way we view others, our self, and a situation. It can shift our communication to more creative and inclusive language, and expand our range of awareness […]
The Language of Play ~ Empowering Words for a Creative World
“As more humans awaken, the word work is going to disappear from our vocabulary, and perhaps a new word will be created to replace it.” ~ Eckhart Tolle, from The Power of Now. Imagine you are having a team meeting to introduce a new project. Your team leader is in charge of instigating the project, and of course, she wants it to be successful. You and your team are sitting, listening, waiting for instructions on how to proceed. Now imagine the first words that come out of her mouth are, “I want you to work on this project.” Her energy is serious, focused and professional. What would be your initial feeling response? What expectations or images would run through your mind? How would her words […]
The Playful Path
“Logic will take you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” ~ Albert Einstein. From the diagram above… Which pathway does life mostly prepare you for? Which pathway have people been afraid you might take? Which pathway represents life 50 years ago? Which pathway represents life today? Which pathway looks more playful? Which pathway looks more alive? Life is messy, and it’s getting messier. Global awareness, civil rights and a liberated mindset have created greater options and desire. With choice comes messiness in the form of detours, turns and twists, unexpected encounters, destinations, and challenges. We see more possibility, innovate, explore, while challenging linear convention. Evolution is a movement from the left to right pathway: From defaulting to what is expected, to creating the […]
Creating Your To-Be List
“Doing nothing is happiness for children and misery for old men.” ~ Victor Hugo. We make To-Do lists, and yet has anyone ever created a To-Be list? We are human beings, not human doings, so why do we forget that being is as important as doing? We add grocery shopping to our To-Do list, as well as creating a list of people to call. We add exercise and administration, cleaning and proposals. But what about You amongst all of that? Where are you, the Being behind the Doing? How are you feeling, how are you being, while you do? Children are great at being! They are emotive, expressive and present. Somewhere along the line, though, we were told that being was not enough. It was wrong […]
And then…
“The world is but a canvas to the imagination.” ~ Henry David Thoreau. Nurturing imagination in children is an act of love. My friend had some children over and one of them suggested they build a bridge over her large pond to see the goldfish more easily. Instead of telling the child all the reasons why this cannot happen, my friend said, “Yes, and then we can stand on the bridge and see way more fish!” Then another child said, “And then we can lower a tube into the murky water so we can see the fish more easily!” And another said, “And then we could drop bits of food into the tube so we could feed them!” This went on for 30 minutes. Not once […]
3 Stages of Play ~ The Evolution of Life’s Playground
“First you must learn to play by the rules, then you must forget the rules and play from your heart.” ~ Anonymous. Play occurs in three stages, each representing a different period of growth and awareness. As we evolve through these stages, we change our perception of life, and redefine the parameters and possibilities of life’s eternal playground. Stage 1: Innocent Play Stage 2: Structured Play Stage 3: Mature Play * * * Stage 1: Innocent Play “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.” ~ Albert Einstein […]
Creative Connections
“Life is like a mirror, we get the best results when we smile at it.” ~ Unknown. However, this person clearly is yawning…why? She has heard the question, “How’s it going?” too many times today. We all do it, we ask and get asked the question multiple times a day. And what is the most common answer: “Good” or “Fine”. Blah! Part of living a playful life is to be spontaneous, creative, out of the box. As you go about your day, try something different when engaging friends, or even the woman working at the grocery check out. Perhaps ask: What’s been the highlight of your day so far? What has made you smile today/recently? Or even (and yes I do this regularly)… What is […]
15 Ways to Support Children to Play with their Intuition ~ Engaging the Heart, Intelligence & Innocence of Children
“The best way to preserve a child’s vision is to let them see things their way rather than yours.” ~ Jacob Liberman. Intuition is… the knowing/sensing of something beyond time, space, reason, the use of prior knowledge and the five senses. It is the gateway to your soul. Intuition is your birthright. As children you freely connect to your intuition so naturally that you don’t even know it is intuition. It is an everyday awareness permeating your existence that you are intimately connected with and a part of. Life feels magical and your environment is filled with endless possibilities. It doesn’t take long before you lose this sense of presence and wonder. Soon you are more engaged in limited thinking and the responsibilities of life than […]
Piano Play & Your Creative Self
“Play is the royal road to childhood happiness and adult brilliance.” ~Joseph Chiltern Pearce. Start your week with a smile! Enjoy this short and sweet creative brilliance and hilarity. What is one way you would love to begin expressing your creative brilliance? We all have it, it is our birthright. We are born creative! It wants to be expressed, and there is no better time than now to begin. Look for what feels like play, and you’ll be on the right track to finding and expressing your creative Self! “It is in playing, and only in playing, that the individual child or adult is able to be creative and to use the whole personality, and it is only in being creative that the individual discovers […]
The 5 Needs of Employees ~ Creating a Socially Responsible Organization
“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson. The traditional workplace has not encouraged us to be our authentic Self. It has not been big enough to house the human soul. Its culture has been one of punching our time card and doing the daily tasks of building gadgets, meeting client needs, devising strategy and completing administration. We have been expected to do at work, but how much have we been encouraged to be? In my experience of working with teams, there is a hunger for people to have a voice in the organization. They want to bring more of themselves to work. Ultimately, it is their responsibility to do so; […]