Etikettarkiv: Good life project

Podcast 47/52 – Peak creative windows

Publicerad den av
Svara

Jonathan Fields points the finger on a sore spot for me, in this Good Life Project riff. How do I structure my days to ensure I work with my natural thinking and creation cycles, rather than fight ‘em? And what times of the day am I most organically creative? Listening to Jonathan, I realize I don’t really know my daily thinking/creation cycle all that well.createLike Jonathan, I have a peak creative window late at night, say from 9 or 10 pm and a few hours onwards. If I am still up by then, and there’s something to get done, boy, can I ever get it done, and with good quality at that.

But what – or rather, when – is my daytime creative window? Hm. I don’t really know. Have gotten into a somewhat lethargic routine on mornings when I don’t have to be somewhere at a set time, with a social media-session (that usually lasts much longer than the 15 minutes I aim at…), my daily Headspace meditation, doing my Seven exercise and then making a green smoothie, drinking it while reading the news paper and completing my daily Sudoku. And you know what? Nice as these slow mornings are, there is something within me wanting to come out, that isn’t. I’m not helping myself by structuring my days in a way that helps me get it out. Running more on mood than anything else?

I read someone who said they preferred to give people a hand up rather than a hand out. And that’s what popped into my mind now. How can I give myself a hand up to actually work with my natural creative windows? Making the most of them, if nothing else because it’s enjoyable?

Podcast 45/52 – liberated being

Publicerad den av
Svara

Short and sweet, another Good Life Project riff, on the word transformation and how it’s being used in the world of yoga, self-awareness and mindfulness. The term transformation, as it’s used in this crowd, really comes from is the sanskrit word/concept of jiwanmukta. And jiwanmukta isn’t about transformation, it’s about liberation. It translates into Liberated being.

BoldomaticPost_l-i-b-e-r-a-t-e-d-b-e-i-n-gWhen I listened to this podcast, there was a release within. A flash of lightning, an aha, that told me something I already knew, I just hadn’t put it into words. Jonathan Fields did that for me.

Liberated being – not transformed.
L i b e r a t e d !

So free yourself. Let yourself out of the cage created by and for you. Reveal what is already there, know there is nothing to transform. You don’t have to become someone else, transform into some other being, with different, better, more worthy traits and skills.

It’s all within you.

You cannot be found outside of You. You can only be found within.
So stop looking outside, thinking there’s something you can do, be, buy to find yourself. You cannot. Look inwards. Not to transform. To reveal. To get to know your true essence. To step into it, fully.

Sometimes. It scares me.
Becoming aware of my true essence, to feel, sense, notice it.
Other times, it’s the most divine experience, uplifting, hope giving, and enormously empowering. Because the power is there, within me. None else can empower me.
It’s within. I. Have. It. Already.

Let it out. Liberate it. Set it free.

It? Me!
Set me free. Let me out. Liberate myself.

Liberate thyself?

 

Podcast 44/52 – are you into Poof?

Publicerad den av
1

On Tuesday me and my friend Michael Sillion will attend Seth in London, a full day Q&A session which he announced a month and a half ago. I was quick to let him know that I was interested, and once the tickets were released, I jumped at the opportunity to grab a 2-for-1-deal. Hence Michael joined me, which makes me very happy.

So, I figured, why not warm up with a podcast of Seth. This one is from Good Life Project, where Jonathan Fields and Seth Godin talk about any and every thing possible, and, as always, it’s a very enriching conversation to listen in on. You can actually watch the conversation as well, but I prefer podcasts actually!

I’ve listened to this episode probably five or six times by now, and one of the best parts of it is when Seth talks about Poof! (Around 16 minutes in on the conversation if you want to go there directly.)poof

I am not sure I am so good at making things go (deliberately) Poof, and I’ve definitely gotten a lot to think about since listening to this (over and over again).

Are you like Seth, into Poof?

 

Podcast 42/52 – to hold the question

Publicerad den av
Svara

Like last weeks tip, here’s another podcast that I’ve been putting off blogging about, because it’s simply so rich that I am at a loss to find the words to write about it. It’s an episode from Good Life Project this time, with Nilofer Merchant, my favorite walk-and-talk-lady!

Nilofer is a woman who’s led a very interesting life, that’s for sure. She shares openly and without a lot of sentiment, but still, there is a vulnerability to it. She talks about her inner tyrant *been there, done that* and then a very interesting piece of conversation follows, on ”sustained uncertainty”. Just listen, and you’ll get what that points at.

Anyway. I’ve listened to this show umpteen times, and the other day I listened again. And guess what! I heard something I hadn’t heard the other times. Isn’t that amazing? How I suddenly got something else, probably because I listened differently this last time.

Joint creation by Vanessa Smith and Helena Roth at Summit of Human Potential Realization.

Joint creation of the global community by Vanessa Smith and Helena Roth at Summit for Human Potential Realization.

The thoughts about community and the epidemic of people feeling alone and cut off from the rest of the world… How we are actually not paying attention to the phenomenal amount of communities we are a part of, and then they give example after example, and I had to stop to take it all in. There are a few communities that I instantly come up with if you’d ask me what I ”am a part of” so to speak. But what Nilofer and Jonathan point to, is a much larger sense of community, that really stopped me in my tracks, this time around. I am very grateful for that!

Oh. And then, the part about questions and answers, close to the end. As a person enamored with questions, this part blew me away:

My job is to hold the question. […] I think most of us were trained with the idea that you needed to know the answer. […] if you actually own the question, other people can help you with the answer […] and more importantly, they can help you make the answer a reality! – Nilofer Merchant

There’s a question that’s been a constant companion of mine these past two and a half, close to three years. And I still haven’t gotten tired of it. What’s the question that lie at the center of your life?

DAY 2 #NAJOWRIMOPROMPT: What inspired your creative self?

Publicerad den av
1

Yesterday you wrote about ways you express yourself creatively. For today’s journal entry, write about you creative influences. Who and what makes you feel creative. Who and what do you draw creative inspiration from?

Creative influences. Now that’s a questions I can probably provide a multitude of answers to, but nobody but me can make me feel creative!

I find it a bit odd that I read thousands upon thousands of blog posts (most notably school-related ones as well as Seth Godin, Leo Baubata, Arvind Devalia and the likes) up until I started blogging myself. Then, I basically stopped following blogs. I still read some occasionally, but I haven’t followed a blog for years. With one exception, that of my friends Wivan and Anders, as it’s one way to ensure I know what’s going on in their lives as they travel the world.

Since I started blogging myself, I listen to podcasts. (So yeah, I wouldn’t be surprised to see myself pick up podcasting and then cease to listen to other podcasts?!) All through out this year, my Sunday blog post has been, and will be, a podcast tip from me. My absolute favorites are On Being, One You Feed and Good Life Project. There are other as well, some Swedish ones, such as 100%-podden by my friend Charlotte Rudenstam (there are a few episodes in English as well, so do check it out) and Värvet with Kristoffer Triumf, but also English ones such as Freakonomics Radio, Peak Prosperity Featured Voice and several NPR shows with Invisibilia and Serial as my most loved ones. And yes, I draw an immense amount of creative inspiration from these podcasts!

appleNature is also something from which I draw creative inspiration. Walking about. Sitting down. Looking at a tree, a lake, a rock, a straw of grass, ants in an ant hill… anything and everything, nature is a marvelous source for inspiration!

And family and friends of course, it’s like having my very own treasure chest full of creative inspiration! I like to witness and observe, both the ongoings of my family and friends as well as what happens within me when I am in interaction with the ones close to me.

Since I’ve stopped reading blogs so much, perhaps you think I no longer get creative inspiration from written material. Well. That would be a faulty assumption. I read books, I love books, and I get a lot of inspiration from them. Fiction is more to let my mind just be, without triggering it too much, but I also read a lot of non-fiction, which definitely does just that, triggers my creativity, my curiosity, a wish to sit with a certain question or topic, and see what happens within as I do so. A lot of that comes out as blog posts.

Do I have other sources for creative inspiration. You bet. I could jot down another ten sources, easily, but no, I’ll stop here. But what about you? Who and what do you draw creative inspiration from?

Podcast 37/52 – mindblowing podcast on intelligence

Publicerad den av
Svara

Oh. Perhaps you are getting fed up with the podcast tips I’m providing every Sunday. It’s almost solely Good Life Project or On Being that I’ve featured lately. But heck, those two shows are simply so good. Honestly, if you have yet to actually click on one of the links I’m inserting into these podcast tip blog posts, you really should give it a go.

And, yeah, of course, you’ve probably guessed by now that I’m gonna write about one of these shows today as well. And you’re right. I will. You see, I’ve been listening over and over to an extremely fascinating conversation between Krista Tippett and educator Mike Rose on the intelligence present in all kinds of work.

Mindblowing. Mike describes the intelligence of a waitress, and made me realize what a fenomenal memory many waitresses have. The intelligence of a plumber, who perhaps works in limited surroundings, making it impossible to actually see with his or her eyes what the issue is, but through the help of probing fingers and an ability to paint an internal picture, can solve it. There’s beauty and, indeed, intelligence in all the millions of different work activities that goes on, through out the day and night, all over the world.

MindblowingI’m even fascinated by my fascination over this! And I’ve got a treat saved up for myself as well. There’s an unedited version of their conversation that I’ve yet to listen to. Oh goodie!

Anyway, check it out, and please pay extra attention the last 10-15 minutes of the episode, as Mike and Krista then touch upon a topic very close to my heart, that of the purpose of education, of learning, of schooling. I usually twitterify the question as #WhySchool, and, guess how happy I got when I heard Mike speak about why he thinks it’s so important to be very clear about the purpose of schooling and education. Oh, and if you want to, please let me know what pops up for you as you listen to this episode. Id love to hear your thoughts on the topics raised in this show. Ok?

Podcast 36/52 – Be a better person

Publicerad den av
2

Wanna make better stuff? Be a better person, Jonathan Fields says at the beginning of this weeks podcast tip of the Good Life Project (yet again a tip from GLP. Actually this is the third in a row – so if you haven’t listened to an episode yet, just do. They a_r_e really good, most of them!).

BoldomaticPost_Wanna-make-better-stuff-Be-a

Now, this is a Good Life Riff, meaning it’s only about five minutes long. Still. It’s worth listening to, and it sure puts a spin on things for me. Jonathan tells a story about guitars and guitar-makers in the riff, and says ”You can’t keep your personality outside of the work”. It’s said about handmade guitars, but does it stop there? Isn’t that true for all work done by a human being?

 

 

Podcast 35/52 – the big questions

Publicerad den av
Svara

harvestListened to Good Life Project with Jonathan Fields in conversation with Dale Partridge when I was out picking wild plums, blackberries, dewberries and hazelnuts in the recreational area just across the street from my home. Dale and Jonathan proved to be great companions for my harvest walk, and once more, once it finished I had the urge to press play and start all over again.

There are so many questions one can ask oneself, on the life we lead. Questions that Dale and Jonathan ask and talk about in this episode. Big questions, that might actually be the common thread of most of the podcasts I share here. I like listening to podcasts that make me question e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g about life, in general and specifically about my own life. Questions of happiness, relationships, health, and what is really important to us. Questions that perhaps were impossible for the average Joe and Jane to ask for most of humanity, but that a huge number of people can ask themselves in the times we live right now. Not all, unfortunately, since there are many who suffer from famine, from inequalities, from war and terror. But let’s face it – if you are reading this, you’re almost certainly a part of the millions that can ask these questions. Question is – are you?

Podcast 34/52 – The gift of failure

Publicerad den av
1

I am very interested in school development and life long learning, with the firm belief that schools and how they are shaped actually shape the society we live in, to a large extent. Hence I was thrilled to listen to Jessica Lahey on Good Life Project, since she’s a teacher with a passion for learning.

And was I ever rewarded! Jessica and Jonathan had such an interesting conversation that when I was finished, and still had several kilometers left on the bike ride I was on, that I just pressed PLAY and started to listen one more time.

BoldomaticPost_The-gift-of-failures-an-opporJessica Lahey wrote an article in The Atlantic in January 2013 entitled Why parents need to let their children fail and since then, she’s written a book on the subject of failure as well. And she’s telling some fascinating stories in this podcast, around failure (amongst other things), and on the opportunity for growth that most (all?) failures bring with them. I especially like the way she balances her own experience both as a teacher and a parent, demonizing neither party, but totally seeing the pro’s and con’s each role can provide in the development of a child.

So, are you a parent? Listen to this episode.

Or perhaps, you are a teacher or work in schools? Listen to this episode.

Maybe you are lucky enough to be a parent yourself, or have any kind of relationship with children, such as being an aunt, uncle, grandfather, cousin, neighbor, scout leader or anything else where you come in contact with children and young adults? Listen to this episode.

There. I think I covered the lot right then and there, didn’t I? Have I convinced you yet that this is simply a no-miss-podcast that you definitely will listen to?

Podcast 31/52 – Asking is not receiving

Publicerad den av
Svara

Podcast recommendation 31/52 from the Good Life Project marks the return of ordinary counting in this series. I went off the deep end and named two blog posts after each other number 27… Oops. Anyway. Here I am, back on track full out, it’s week 31 and here’s the 31st podcast recommendation in this year-long series.

BoldomaticPost_When-asking-for-help-make-surSo here it is, an episode from Good Life Project with Jonathan Fields, that I listened to a couple of times yesterday, as I was picking black currants. A short riff on something that I haven’t really given a lot of thought to; the difference between asking for help, advice or assistance, and being open to receiving it.

Asking is not receiving.

As I am writing this post I am listening to it once more, and there’s something to this short story that touches me. This sequence in particular makes me pause, and reflect, looking deep within:

There comes a time when you need to stand naked and silent in the room.
To not just lower the shields, but keep them down. 

Are you open to receiving?
To standing naked and silent?
If so, the real work begins…