continued…

Gershwin

On a break….

I will still post some of my favourite links while I am on a break.

Love these guys…

Enjoy

After Thursday, I have to start buckling down…..

I have so many projects on the go, and no desire to do any!!  I will begin work after Thursday.

BTW- THURSDAY IS OUR 4 YEAR ANNIVERSARY! WOO

This is soooooooooo true!

Washington DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. A man plays six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.
4 minutes later:

the violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the till and, without stopping, continued to walk.
6 minutes:

A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

10 minutes:

A 3 year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly, as the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced them to move on.
45 minutes:

Only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace.
He collected $32.
1 hour:

He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.
This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities. The questions raised: in a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?
One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ….

How many other things are we missing?

Tomorrow

     Christmas in August!!  My wife is coming back from a one month, and a week  adventure.  She has been hanging out in Banff Canada for a month.  She was part of the artist in residency summer program.  She worked with 1st class teachers, participated in masterclasses and played in a top notch orchestra.  I can’t wait to hear what she sounds like when she gets back. 

I have been trying to get the house in good shape so we can spend time together instead of cleaning, and gardening.  I have a small surprise for her when she gets home. 

small pleasures

• last popsicle
• hearing the rain bounce off the roof at the night
• new socks
• clean sheets
• pizza
• getting a ‘z’ in Scrabble
• coffee in the evening
• running the dogs
• standing on the bridge at Western and looking at the river
• pancakes
• day-dreaming
• haircuts (good ones that is)
• reading (this is new-I used to hate this)
• bingo (not because I think that I will win)
• tea tree experience-haha
• crumpler bag
• good tv
• people watching
• reading blogs
• looking at pictures
• cuddling with my amazing wife
• yogourt
• quiet dinners with Jenny
• PVR

some thoughts that speak to me

Gremlin’ is a well known term in coaching circles representing the ‘inner critic,’ a personification of the negative inner voice. Gremlins are conceived through the passing along of negative or self defeating messages which have been internalized throughout life. Well meaning parents, teachers, siblings and associates who like our selves are challenged intermittently with the voices of the gremlin have (unconsciously) passed these along. When the voice of the gremlin overpowers our authentic voice, it can feel difficult to go after what we most desire, as we become plagued by self doubt, fear, or feelings of low esteem.
Gremlins are discouraging, and can easily convince us that we are not capable or worthy of being, having, or doing what we desire to experience in life. At times, it may appear as though there are insurmountable obstacles blocking us from realizing our goals, such as: writing that book, starting a new business, losing weight, healing a relationship, etc.

Gremlins may discourage you from speaking up for yourself, or act to obscure your own needs in favor of others’. Gremlins also nurture feelings of low self esteem, which can prevent you from taking advantage of opportunities. Familiar messages such as "I’m not good enough" or "I can’t, shouldn’t, or won’t succeed" are expressions of the gremlin. Gremlins make it very easy to envision a “worst case scenario” for every situation.

My role as a coach involves ‘co-creating’ a space that allows the individual to remember his or her innate magnificence. This is particularly crucial at times of transition, when it is easy to lose touch with one’s authentic nature, in addition to the truth and power that is within. When moving into new territory, as in committing to a new venture, gremlins emerge because they are invested in keeping you safe and protected from imagined threats and failures. If we resist the voices of our gremlins we may ‘white knuckle it’ through life’s challenges, but I have found their influence grows when we choose to deny or ignore them.
A gremlin’s influence can be so compelling and powerful that it becomes difficult to distinguish between the gremlin’s voice and what our own heart is communicating. Without a supportive structure, it can be impossible to keep your vision for your life in clear sight. As a life coach I ask powerful questions in addition to utilizing a variety of empowering tools to assist individuals in remembering and accessing more of their own inner wisdom, creativity, and power.

Have you ever had the experience of being chased in a dream and it seemed that the harder you ran from a shadowy pursuer, the tougher it was to shake them off? Dream interpreters suggest that if an individual has such a nightmare, he or she is actually making a conscious, pre-sleep decision to face the opponent head on, rather than running away. If one can face the frightening pursuer, the dream figure will then appear in another form—one that allows for you to connect in a new way. Often in dreams, parts of ourselves that we find unacceptable do their best to get our attention, occasionally by scaring us into submission. Thus the dream tells us to listen more closely to our deeper pain and the needs that lie beneath it. Through acknowledging rather than ignoring the gremlins, we allow ourselves to gain important insights and reclaim buried treasures once left behind.

In a coaching session, I asked a woman if she would be willing to meet her gremlins through a creative process. She agreed and a powerful healing experience ensued. This woman decided to meet her gremlins head on, and even though at first it was difficult for her, she committed herself to draw pictures of her gremlins on a few sheets of paper. After each drawing was complete, her intuition gave her little messages which she wrote at the bottom of each page. Each message conveyed a feeling, and once she set about connecting the dots to these emotive messages, a memory was triggered. This triggering effect allowed her to remember a time as a child in which a teacher had told her she couldn’t draw. Over time her gremlins had limited her pursuit of art, yet once she decided to meet them, the emotional release provided her with rich insights and genuine healing. By allowing her gremlins to emerge in a space of compassion, she opened up to a process of reintegrating her creative gifts and was able to move her art to a new level.

After a bit of training, you may find that these gremlins are really giving you an opportunity to retrieve a part of yourself or reclaim a gift that you previously set aside. By nurturing your authenticity and exploring more of your creative nature you can be inspired to express your ‘true self’ and pursue your desires. As your authenticity grows, the gremlin’s voice and power also wanes, and eventually fewer thoughts will deter you from acting on and realizing your heart’s dreams.
Alana Tobin