Focus on What Works

Design your daily journey with curiosity for each moment's potential. Focus on what works, not what's broken. When your dreams and ideals intersect with life's real journey, let your discontent energize your positive energy. 

We turn on the news and feel blasts of words detailing what does not work. How can we avoid the daily intimidation into negativity when inundated with the media's interpretation of a broken world?

My father told me, "Don't say can't. It doesn't exist in the dictionary." Defiantly, I ran to my dictionary to show him the word. I found cant but not the contraction can't that meant cannot, so I believed him. This reminds me of one of the best lines in from a movie, "Can't walks on won't street." When we say we can't, we really mean: we don't want to and won't. 

Success comes in cans but it takes our will.

Creative thinking results from an innovative choice in the moment. This attitude adjustment pushes beyond the onslaught of impossibles. Negativity becomes a bad habit. 

Everyone has the power to make changes.

Begin a list of what works in your life as a reminder. What gives you satisfaction? Go deep into the details and sensory imagery concerning your potential.

Consider one action you can do as soon as your eyes spring open each morning that pushes you beyond inertia.

What can you do for the environment or a loved one to express your responsibility?

Each day expand your list with creative solutions whenever you confront or learn of a difficulty or problem.

Attract and invent ideas for possible ways to balance the negativity around you. 

Become Positive in your donation of energy to others around you.

Revise the headlines and words of negativity to reflect what works or write in new ideas.

Time Off from the Ordinary

"I gladly abandon dreary tasks, rational scruples, reactive undertakings 

imposed by the world." 

  - Roland Barthes

Barthes said he would do the above, "for the sake of love." Even though he knew it might cause him," to act like a lunatic freed up tremendous energy."

What if you take time off from the ordinary? 

Launch from daily tasks. Search for an amusement, an adventure, or creative idea that might stimulate your imagination.  

Use boundless vigor and act like a lunatic to accomplish the goal.

Abandon the dreary
    Alter your rhythm
         Free up energy
                  
Take a chance. Make a change. 

Animal Story

 

The earliest known artists and writers used animals as their first subjects. Images of creatures dominate cave walls of Lascaux and Altamira and tell stories of the prehistoric world.Teaching stories and fables arrived later. They reveal, through actions of animals, ways to show children how to behave and the consequences of wrong choices.

Consider two animals who collaborate. An elephant waded into the pond at a Wild Animal Park. With the sound of a trumpet, it tossed water from its trunk onto its back. Ripples from its skin sent droplets over the large frame. A bluebird happened by and noticed this refreshment in the heat of the day.

“Hello,” the bird sang as it flew above the trunk.”How do you do that?”

“Ah, “ the elephant responded. “ Would you like a spray?”

“I have flown from the north and would like a drink and bath,” the bird flapped just above the gray trunk. Soon the water sparkled from its feathers. “What a wonderful mechanism to have.”

“You’re fortunate also to have wings,” smiled the elephant. “I’ve always admired birds in the sky and how they can travel.

“It looks like we have ways to share our experiences,” said the bird, drying one feather at a time with its beak.

“So many animals here have talents to learn about,” said the elephant.

“Aren’t you frightened by the fierce ones?” the bird asked.

“Each has his or her own specialty,” said the elephant and moved deeper into the water. 

Ears wriggled from the water as a large head appeared, then the body of a hippo.

  Where would you take this story?  

Finding a New Friend

 

Imagine a hummingbird as a statue on a branch, its flurry of activity at rest.  Identify each color and feather in detail.

We always  feel the rush of chaos at times. The frenzy for many appears endless.  How would it feel to quiet your day?  

Take time to sit and breathe in six breaths, then breathe out six.  Continue until you can extend your exhalation to ten.

Consider this time of silence when you slow the breath, feel stillness and relax. Sounds may arise around you but they represent energy when you put yourself into a focused state.  
  
Notice that the space around you opens.  Nothing will overwhelm you when you pay attention to the rhythm of your breath.  Give this feeling of rest a name as you search for balance.  Use the name and revisit its calming effect from time to time each day.

Dialogue with this new friend.

Find Creative Mischief

"Why should I ask God to make me good when I want to be naughty?" asked the little girl.
All the wise men of the world are put to silence by this childish query.  A parliament of philosophers will not resolve it.  When we set out in search of an answer we are . . . lost.  
                                           - William Macneile Dixon









Everyone needs to practice a bit of mischievous behavior to cultivate curiosity and inspire humor.  When the situation doesn't cause harm or damage, devious thinking initiates creative ways to solve problems. 

Recall a time you were creatively naughty. 

Have you developed a prank that does not cause damage but excites and incites fun?

Let your curiosity travel to an imagination playground. 

Write to push the limits and get into mischief. 

A Novelty-Seeking Ability

 

Happiness lies not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort." Franklin D. Roosevelt, first inaugural address

In her book, YOUR CREATIVE BRAIN,  Dr. Shelley Carson shares the psychology and neuroscience of creativity. A Harvard psychologist, Dr. Carson defines creativity as something novel or original and useful or adaptive to some portion of the population. She focuses on the distinction between originality and creativity. Carson indicates that many things are original but aren’t particularly creative. She cites the “word salad” speech of a schizophenic as highly original but it does not appear to have a utility, even to the person uttering the words. 

Psychologists used to believe the left brain analyzed with an involvement of sequential thinking and the right brain handled creativity. The a movement developed toward the front-back brain division. The front brain became the gatekeeper and controlled the input from the back brain. Now we think it’s more complicated that either model. It depends upon which stage of the creative process you’re in.

Dr. Carson feels contentment is the enemy of creativity because the creative mind constantly hungers for stimulation.

Creativity involves novelty-seeking. Studies of cognitive behavior have shown you can change brain activation states, alter neurotransmitter levels and the receptors for those neurotransmitters and receptors. Dr. Carson believes, “if we have the ability to change our brains with cognitive behavior therapy, why not use that power to become more novelty-seeking and more creative?’

She adds, to increase creativity, “keep learning new things. Take courses, read widely, and learn how to play a new instrument or how to cook Tuscan food. Learn, learn, learn! Second, try not to judge the things you’re learning. Keep an open mind. Everything you learn is a possible element that may make its way into some future creative idea that you can’t even imagine today. And the more open-minded you remain about what you learn, the more likely you are to see how it can be combined with other information to form a novel and original product or idea." 

  What could you do to develop a novelty-seeking ability? 

Sensory Writing

 

Do you depend on one sense in your writing and forget to use a variety of sights, sounds and scents to enrich the text?

Select paragraphs from your favorite writer or a piece of your own writing.  Notice what sense prevails. What if you remove it and replace it with another?

Observe the use of adjectives and adverbs. Replace them with a metaphor or action verb to expand meaning.

How would you:

Describe a sunset without the use of color?

Reveal music without sound?

Comment on a meal without describing its taste?

Show the scent of a rose in metaphor?

Challenge your writing by adding elements you don't usually consider.

Track Habits

Individuals and their traits travel through us. From childhood onward, many of our behaviors become composites of watching and emulating others.  Preferences may arise from both positive and negative experiences that build character and personality.

During the day keep track of behaviors you attribute to influence from family members or friends. Who taught you to roll socks into a ball or fold them over together to place in the sock drawer? Did someone suggest you try catsup or vinegar on French fries?  

Did a sibling throw the baseball and football with you and show you form?  Did you ever skip a stone on a lake? Who taught you to tie shoelaces and how do you?  

Who dared you to become courageous?

Does science appeal after watching the celery experiment revealing capillary action with blue ink that traveled up into the leaves? Do you like jelly with scrambled eggs because your father ate it? Does mac and cheese not fit into the favorite foods category because you had to eat it when recovering from an illness? Who read your first book to you or revealed the alphabet?  Do you count on your fingers?

Notice how you respond during the day. Do you hear yourself say something a friend always repeated?  Do your slang words retreat many decades and you still say, "Cool" or "Right on"?

After you complete your day's habit tracking, write about your impressions.

Birthday Celebration

 

Today I celebrate my father's 133rd Birthday. He taught me a fascination for life and to marvel at the eyewinks of sunrise and sunset. In a blink, darkness animates morning and day sneaks into night.

My father and I watched my "big ball of fire" as it eased into the horizon. He described a moment when the sun finds the sea and changes color in a "flash." Green sparks for a second or two. 

We coddled our patience through myriad twilights to catch that perfect moment - the green flash. 

Now, living on a hill with a view to the sea, I continue to watch and wait. The mystery unfolds when I least expect it. The search means placing myself in a variety of circumstances to "get ready." An amazement awaits in mirages and light shimmers. I feel his hug and hear his laugh.

With my hand in his hand, I discovered cursive writing's flow. We danced to a variety of  music. If I felt upset, his hand always had my back. 

Life has its mysteries that I cannot perceive without the patience of the process. I feel awakenings daily as I attend to my practice. 

The thrill keeps me eager until a flash reveals itself.

Exploit the Ordinary

 

"The beginner sees many possibilities, the expert few. Be a beginner every day." ~ Zen Proverb 

Discover a miracle each day that inspires you to view the ordinary with a new perspective.

Strip objects and experiences of their habitual expectations. Allow them to attract the enchantment you felt before familiarity set in. Observe the way a raven stands on its claws and how rainbows sparkle in its feathers.

Stay ready and eager for an outbreak of curiosity with a burst of surprises and fun.

Tune your eyes and ears to a different frequency.

Explore with fingers and toes.

Around every corner, adventures will enliven the day.

Be aware. Care and share.

Exploit the Ordinary.

Celebrate World Poetry Day

Play with another poet's work to seek ideas and nuances for an exploration of possibilities. Type a favorite poem to feel the rhythm and pay attention to line breaks. Delving into a poem's structure and replacing nouns and verbs nourishes the creative process. 

Take a look at Pablo Neruda's poem. Change the meaning with different nouns and verbs. Use repetition in varying ways. Follow the rhythm or change the sequences to fit as your mind takes over.

AN ODE FOR IRONING

          by Pablo Neruda

Poetry is white
Poetry smells green

it comes dripping out of the water
it rises flying into the sky

it gets wrinkled and piles up
it moves winged and floats up

We have to stretch out the skin of this planet
We try to reach into the clouds of the universe

We have to iron the sea in its whiteness
We need to unwrap the sky in its blueness

The hands go on and on
The feet kick higher and higher

and so things are made
and fins erupt

the hands make the world every day
The feet continue to awaken the world

fire unites with steel 
ice creates unity

linen, canvas and calico come back 
iris, daisy and geranium bloom

from combat in the laundry
from combustion in the clouds

and from the light a dove is born
after twilight a seagull snickers

purity comes back from the soap suds.
intuition surges on a wave's bubbles


After interacting and replacing the essence in the lines with your ideas, combine what you have written and do a freewrite to each of your own lines.  

What evolves?

Develop Awareness

 

Our minds can create strings of thoughts that move from anguish to armageddon within minutes.  We move deeper into despair by thinking about the next . . . and the next possible disaster.

What if the next time the chain begins we stop and re-arrange the lines to develop creative solutions, absurd or awesome?

Instead of asking, "What if this happens?" Flip the chatter.  Ask - "In what ways will I prepare for all situations."

Begin in awareness.

First describe the internal feelings when the anguish begins. Notice how they circulate in the abdomen or tighten the chest.

Breathing becomes shallow.

Find a word to stop your train of thoughts.  Write or yell:  Halt! 

Just laugh. Sing your favorite tune.

Begin to consider your breathing patterns and find a rhythm of five counts in through the nose and six counts out through the nose. 

Think of how nature deals with timing. Imagine the challenge of a seed breaking the covering to develop shoots and roots.

Create imagery to remove yourself from the anxiety of the situation.

Focus on a scent like lemon or your favorite aroma.  Chase it to all components and tastes. Let it transport you to a time of tranquility.

Focus on a bird song, waves, wind in tree branches.

Listen for the click click of a hummingbird or a gull's cry.

Get into the details of the shapes and depths inside flowers. 

Bring in the Ha Ha Ha of humor. Laugh out loud. Make fun of the situation.

By using awareness and delving into distraction, laughter and creativity, watch the fragments of worry disappear.

First Day of Spring. Spring in.

Ten thousand flowers in spring, the moon in autumn,
a cool breeze in summer, snow in winter. 

If your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things,
this is the best season of your life. - Wu Wen

Spring encourages renewal in life as well as writing. Writers need an opportunity to consider writing rejuvenation.

Keep it SIMPLE:

S:   Savor the growth around you in daisies, daffodils, crocuses, and tulips. Take time to watch nature’s daily progress. See the birds and insects prepare for spring.

I:    Invest in your imagination. Forget the world’s concerns. Imaginate each moment. Make discoveries, connections. 

M:   Meditate in your own way. Observing your breath creates awareness and relaxation. Focus on it for one or two intervals during the day. 

Sit comfortably, breathe in six times and out six times. Gradually extend your exhalations. 

Try for a fifteen minute period where you erase the jumble from your mind. 

Let thoughts flow by like clouds.

P:    PLAY. Distract yourself with fun and frolic. 

L:    Let go. Capture humor and spread it around.

E:    Eat nourishing foods and exercise.


Celebrate YOU.   Believe in yourself. Add your own spring fervor.

Find a word (sycamore, pelican, dandelion, salmon) and create your spring renewal with suggestions for each letter. Have FUN.

 

Discover Resilience

"Anxiety is the interest paid on trouble before it is due." Dean W.R.Inge 

Human beings are the only creatures in nature who complain and feel anguish about a situation before it happens. When met with obstaclea, other animals, insects, and plants just keep doing what needs to be done; staying in their process toward progress. They move beyond what gets in the way.  No whining!

Consider aspects of resilience. Check out eggs hatching, roses unfurling, or seeds sprouting. Imagine if they wasted time with anxious thoughts. Nothing would hatch or bloom. Maybe they're just fortunate that they don't have the brain cells necessary for worry?

Many researchers argue that pessimism has its place. That it offers a more realistic way to positive results. Barbara Held, psychologist at Bowdoin College, believes healthy doses of pessimism (defensive pessimism) become crucial in overcoming obstacles and achieving goals. If we accept the fact that things can go wrong, we can prepare for them. It’s the best offense for a positive outcome.

Become a balanced Optimist. Rather than thinking like the defensive pessimist, use your writer’s imagination to work for you in creating the best and worse cases. Ask, “In what five ways can I achieve success.” Write about it. Scribble notions as you consider all pathways and rocks in the road to your desired destination. 

Preparation enables you to have a variety of responses ready. You have choices and do not need to persist with unsuccessful routes. These ideas will move you beyond the emotional reactions of the moment. You will develop healthy resilience as a result of your writing process.

Discover five ways to achieve resilience today.