Author: Phil

Advertising your uniqueness.

“When you have to advertise your uniqueness constantly, you become very fragile.” – Richard Rohr on the Liturgist Podcast

Advertise = Describe or draw attention to in a public medium in order to promote sales or attendance.

What are we promoting when we advertise our uniqueness? 

A certain identity we hope others see.

The alternative to our insecurity we hide.

More here but requires deep thinking…

 

Where do I sense the need to display and make clear my uniqueness?

At what spaces in my life do I sense this desire inside myself?

I should confront those spaces with authority. The authority which I do not need to advertise my uniqueness. There is a truth of who I am which does not need advertising.

My people know this. If I am not confident of that I need to invest more in my people and myself.

 

Why does uniqueness matter so much to me?

More on this question to come.

“Are true” vs. “Can be true”

I hope to create spaces where people are true.

When claiming this I switched between the phrasing “can be true” and “are true.”

Can be true allows the other to interface with the space how they choose and gives them full responsibility of if they will or will not be true. This is sacred in the sense that it gives someone freedom and choice. However it removes me from being responsible for doing anything more than “setting the table.”

I hope to do more than simple set the table. I hope to set the table, encourage conversation, ask probing questions, empower others to speak up and be.

That’s why I settle on “are true.” It gives me more agency to lead others to a place of being true. Rather than letting myself off the hook for a partial attempt, I now am the party responsible for doing all I can to make it so.

Of course I’m likely swinging too far in this by thinking I can make the change fully on my own. I must rely on the other to also join but I hope to not swing too far the other way of letting myself off the hook.

When to Rest?

Our energy is a direct reflection of our story.

When we are living an integral story (integrity of self, influence and action) our need to rest will decrease.

The story we are living (which comes out of the story we tell ourselves) drives our energy level.

When we are highly integrated and healthy, we likely require less rest. When we are disintegrated and unhealthy, we likely retreat from the things we love and focus on ourselves more than necessary.

Curiosity

Many timeless and altruistic things come from principles of Humility, Empathy, and Sacrifice.

One of these is a pure version of Curiosity.

A strong, genuine interest into something unknown or uncertain.

I hope to be more curious. When I am, life is freer, enjoyable, meaningful, and impactful.

“How does that work?”…”What do you mean?”…”Tell me more”…These are great phrases to start with.

Planting a Young Tree

The last few months have been a sort of anomaly for me. The VP of my organization noticed how I hadn’t reached out any more but it was actually a recent theme across other areas of my life. I have not been as active with new ideas, collaboration, and even exercise. I am finding that these moments of apathy are springing out of a fear of scarcity.

If I push this idea forward, not enough people will like it and I’ll be stuck on the outside…

If I collaborate with them, I’ll have to give up my own ideas and be left with them winning the attention of others over me…

If I get up and go to the gym this morning, I’ll be too tired to give my all in other areas…

 

I may have recently missed the boat on several occasions to seize a moment of opportunity…

Sure the collaboration with that person won’t be the same after that meeting…

Maybe I lost some strength from not going to the gym…

And yet, I must ONLY go. My path is not one of waiting or fear. It is one of action and progress regardless of what is behind me. Even if the tree I start with is 20 years younger than it could have been.

Tree

Put on your mask before…

This typical airline instruction is for emergency situations. It’s smart advice for emergencies. And intended for EMERGENCIES.

Just about every situation in our life will not be an emergency.

However we apply this idea to just about every part of our lives.

You have more to give than you even realize.

When we sense ourselves resting on the airline cliche, we must assess if it’s an emergency (hint: if we have time to assess it likely not an emergency). If not then we ought to remember we have more to give than we even know.

Act with generosity. Live as an offering. Lead.

“Learning” rather than “Proof of Concept”

When we innovate, pilot, try out something we are better off seeing it as an opportunity to learn rather than a proof of concept.

Even the best of us will sway a test towards success, if we view it as a proof of concept, especially if our reputation, a promotion, etc. is on the line.

Instead, seeing a new trial as a learning opportunity opens the door for the final product to be holistically better than the test. We do not try to fit the test into the actual but instead use the test to more accurately understand the actual.

P.S. I know a proof of concept is often needed but only after pilot or tests are completed and the product is refined thoroughly…