‘Beyond the Flame’ blog

Reflection can help turn a connection on, often revealing truth or opportunity. Reaction can turn a connection off, inviting conflict to take centre stage, demanding right, wrong, or absolutes. With the UAE and RIM at a standoff over Blackberry Services, is there an opportunity to stop, look, listen and connect to allow a collaborative solution to emerge? Could this lead to new ideas and approaches that would satisfy both priorities and allow a new approach to ‘become’? What can be lost or gained in this business conflict? Why do some fear collaboration? When we inflict upon others, do we inflict upon ourselves?

We've often heard that between stimulus and response lies a space for our personal growth.  Michael Dooley describes this concept in a language more aligned to Embers, by stating that between belief and becoming is activity.  What are you doing to ensure your beliefs actively and positively contribute to your state of becoming?  How much are you investing in 'your space'?

When we connect, can we 'become' an entirely new state?  How connected was this diver?  Is Nature something you connect to?  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQITWbAaDx0

The thermometer for success - number of hours we put in at the office, the number of meetings and deals we forge?  Why not see the world through a different lens, with a new KPI for leader success being number of times we are seen staring out the window, connected deep to the intuition within, exploring 'inner hunches' without interruption..

 

Why do we continue to be busy for 'busy-ness' sake? Terrified of drowning in silence and stillness, frightened of what we'll see, hear or meet?  In the words of Jaworski:  Sometimes the greatest acts of commitment involve doing nothing but sitting and waiting until knowing exactly what to do. 

We all have a story to tell.  Stories connect us to ourselves and to each other.  What Jacqueline Novogratz's story demonstrates is that we are all connected - what a great ember! When we help or hinder others, we help or hinder ourselves. What's your story, and how can we all connect and learn from it?