100 Day Challenges blog

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Sign of the Times

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Chicago @ the Oriental theatre - Opening night

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Allocating resources - Robert Dilts

When you think forward 3 to 6 months, what are the REALLY IMPORTANT things you want to achieve, the “rocks in your jar?” (These rocks may be first steps in larger goals visions that may take much longer to complete)

1. List the mix of activities that you need to undertake in the next period of time. 

2. Make up a time allocation worksheet or use the one below. Write the list of activities in the spaces in the middle of the worksheet. 

3. On the pie chart on the right, under the column Desired State, represent the percentage of time you will need to allocate to each activity if your key objectives are to be successfully achieved.

4. Now review what you have specified as the allocation you would like, and compare it to the time you actually spend on these activities. Using the pie charts on the left hand side of the worksheet, represent the relative amounts of time you are currently spending with respect to each activity. 

5. Now list the people with whom you are collaborating in order to undertake these activities on the second half of the worksheet. Note the proportion of your time you would like to spend with them in order to be successful in your activities, and note this on the right side of the worksheet. Compare these percentages with the time you actually spend with each individual, noted on the left side of the worksheet.

Photoreading Immersion (PI)

Last weekend, I did a photoreading immersion (PI).

I haven't done this since the time I bought over 25 books at a used, thrift book sale, over 5 years ago. 

This time, I knew how to prepare and what to expect and how to make this successful. 

Here's the process, for those that may have an interest:

 

Have an objective - I had separated my books on one specific topic for this and maintain the intention to do this, days before the PI moment.

 

Set a block of time - This is challenging and it may be the reason that I had postponed doing the PI.  Ideally, it has to be a continuous amount of time.  I had both options of Saturday and/or Sunday to do this.  As it turned out, I was defocused on Saturday and this left me with Sunday to complete this.  This gave me some insight on myself on how I approach projects.

 

Eliminate interruptions - First thing, I shut off the electronics, computers, phones, etc.  I did allow myself to have soft background music.  I chose jazz at a very low volume level.  It made for great company, especially since I'm highly auditory.

 

Be well rested - Yes, good night sleep starts this off.  I meditated and obtained clarity for this PI.  In hindsight, I would have done a light physical activity like running or stretching.  Something to stimulate the blood flow.

 

Have great lighting - I had a choice of reading by my book shelf, which has great lighting with natural and artificial light.  Instead, I chose the bright natural light from direct sunlight in a different room.  Natural beats artificial any day.

 

Prepare books on a single subject - This time I chose books on the same subject.  I also seperated the books even further by certain classifications.  Yes, this is what's recommended from syntopic reading exercises.  I know, I know, I remember now I know.

 

Interval Rest often - After several books, my body wanted stretching, and parts of my body demanded relief.  Taking care of the physical needs is important to note.  This is probably why this is a solitary sport and close access to a bathroom is essential.

 

Have materials handy - I gathered a notebook with blank pages for note taking, mind mapping, and recording thought triggers.  I have used a larger book before, and thought that the larger pages were important for expanding on the mapping ideas and links.  I used a smaller styled notebook and found this easier for this task.  I did change a process that I had established before.  This time, I took linear notes on the page to the right of the spiral, and on the left page of the spiral, I did the mind maps for that particular book.  This allows for both sides of the brain to be stimulated.  I only used one pen, although I did prepare with many multi colored pens to highlight the notations, just in case.  I also used sticky notes for marking the book for areas of interest.

 

Drink liquids - Water.  Small bottled water.  This prevents spilling and is tap refillable.  Simple.

 

Review - I found that I could later review my notebook and glance through the topics for a refresher.

 

I stopped at sunset and in between took a phone call from a relative.  This call gave me a message of semi-emergency and was a signal to conclude my PI for this day.  I live to do a PI another day.

The results of this have given me more confidence and momentum in my business, and I had fun doing it.

Learning and Loving,

Rocky Romero

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The Now Habit

Once there was a magician..

Once there was a magician that was content with all that he had.

And one bright and shiny day, growing restless about his desire to help others and sensing that he wanted to be the best magician in the world, traveled to another land far, far away to seek the knowledge of the grand Master coach.

He traveled with intensity and determination to a place where he could awaken that deeper longing for connection and to discover himself in a way that would help his people back home.

The training was delightful and all that he expected and more.

Yet, there was a message that he wanted to bring back home to his people that would empower them. So he asked the grand Master coach for those final words of wisdom.

The grand Master coach, glanced back at the magician, and smiled a knowing smile, and reaching inside the core of his being, said slowly and softly, almost at a whisper, “Desire. Magician, tell your people to keep a strong Desire for becoming who they are meant to be.”

The magician thanked the grand Master and then wistfully asked, “Is that it, Desire?”

“There is more,” the grand Master coach told him. “Tell them that they must also have the Discipline to carry forward and complete their journey.”

Again the magician thanked the grand Master coach and feeling that there may be more, asked, “Is that it, Desire and Discipline?”

“There is one more,” the grand Master coach replied, “Tell them that they must always have a sense of Humility. Desire and Discipline and Humility."

"To have the Desire to learn from their coach magician, and have the Discipline to trust their true self, and discover their calling in life, and the Humility to accept feedforward and take action immediately!"

"For FEEDFORWARD is the fruit that feeds Champions.”

By Rocky Romero

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Once upon a time..

Once upon a time, in late summer, there was a caterpillar who lived in a beautiful stately tree. This caterpillar was very happy in her tree because the sun was warm, the air was fresh and there were plenty of delicious green leaves to eat. Each morning, the caterpillar would leave her home next to the trunk of the tree and go out and find a  nice, sunny spot in which to spend the day. As she felt the urge, she would find some leaves to eat and thereby satisfy her hunger.

On one particularly fine day, when the sky was bright blue, the sun tenderly warm and the wind whispering through the leaves, the caterpillar was contentedly eating succulent leaves. As she glanced up, she happened to notice, far above her a beautiful creature that sailed through the air, gliding and fluttering on the wisps of wind. The creature came closer, and as the caterpillar realized it was a butterfly, she felt in her heart a longing for this new experience that each of us has at sometime in our life.

As the butterfly drew closer, she called up to it, "Butterfly, Butterfly, please teach me how to fly." In a gentle and sincere voice, the butterfly replied, "You'll know…soon enough." Our friend, the caterpillar, felt a great longing and sadness. Suddenly in her life there was emptiness and she found herself thinking that the butterfly's answer was not satisfactory at all.

She began to dream of what it would be like to float on the currents of wind, rise up above the tree that was her home, and to be able to see all that those heights would allow. So thinking, she spied on the currents of wind another even more brightly colored butterfly and called in a louder, more plaintive voice, "Butterfly, Butterfly, please teach me how to fly." Once again, she was answered with the same phrase, "You'll know…soon enough." and again, the caterpillar felt the longing for something that she felt was so close, but as yet was inexplicable.

As the days went by and grew shorter and shorter the caterpillar found herself feeling not only the longing to fly, but a sense of tired despair. She began to believe that she, being just a caterpillar, would never be able to be like the butterflies she had seen, that flying was really something beyond her station in life, even beyond her abilities.

As she grew more tired, she began to make for herself a cozy bed to sleep in, filling it with soft down and suspending it from a branch so that, as the wind blew and she slept, she could dream of being able to fly. She began to spend more time asleep, dreaming of flying, until there was a period of time where she slept for almost a week and had the most incredible dreams of being a butterfly. She could feel each whisper of wind and the joy of seeing for miles around, not only her own tree, but all the trees in the forest, and the streams and hillsides and, yes, even the mountains in the distance.

After the week was done, she awoke, and slowly climbed out of her bed. She noticed that she felt much different, that where there had once been only legs were now wings, and that the world looked different through her eyes, that colors were brighter. She could even hear the song of butterflies as they flew through the air. She realized that she had turned into a butterfly, and with a flap of her wings and her heart leaping in joy, she began to float and glide on the gentle breeze. She understood now that her dreams of flying had taught her much and helped her imagination from the mind of a caterpillar, and the experience went far beyond that.

As she glided past the tree that she used to live in, she heard a voice, from below calling, "Butterfly, Butterfly, please teach me how to fly." She looked down and saw a caterpillar calling to her, and heard her own voice saying, "You'll know…soon enough."

By Anne Linden

Once upon a time, in late summer, there was a caterpillar who lived in a beautiful stately tree. This caterpillar was very happy in her tree because the sun was warm, the air was fresh and there were plenty of delicious green leaves to eat. Each morning, the caterpillar would leave her home next to the trunk of the tree and go out and find a  nice, sunny spot in which to spend the day. As she felt the urge, she would find some leaves to eat and thereby satisfy her hunger.

On one particularly fine day, when the sky was bright blue, the sun tenderly warm and the wind whispering through the leaves, the caterpillar was contentedly eating succulent leaves. As she glanced up, she happened to notice, far above her a beautiful creature that sailed through the air, gliding and fluttering on the wisps of wind. The creature came closer, and as the caterpillar realized it was a butterfly, she felt in her heart a longing for this new experience that each of us has at sometime in our life.

As the butterfly drew closer, she called up to it, "Butterfly, Butterfly, please teach me how to fly." In a gentle and sincere voice, the butterfly replied, "You'll know…soon enough." Our friend, the caterpillar, felt a great longing and sadness. Suddenly in her life there was emptiness and she found herself thinking that the butterfly's answer was not satisfactory at all.

She began to dream of what it would be like to float on the currents of wind, rise up above the tree that was her home, and to be able to see all that those heights would allow. So thinking, she spied on the currents of wind another even more brightly colored butterfly and called in a louder, more plaintive voice, "Butterfly, Butterfly, please teach me how to fly." Once again, she was answered with the same phrase, "You'll know…soon enough." and again, the caterpillar felt the longing for something that she felt was so close, but as yet was inexplicable.

As the days went by and grew shorter and shorter the caterpillar found herself feeling not only the longing to fly, but a sense of tired despair. She began to believe that she, being just a caterpillar, would never be able to be like the butterflies she had seen, that flying was really something beyond her station in life, even beyond her abilities.

As she grew more tired, she began to make for herself a cozy bed to sleep in, filling it with soft down and suspending it from a branch so that, as the wind blew and she slept, she could dream of being able to fly. She began to spend more time asleep, dreaming of flying, until there was a period of time where she slept for almost a week and had the most incredible dreams of being a butterfly. She could feel each whisper of wind and the joy of seeing for miles around, not only her own tree, but all the trees in the forest, and the streams and hillsides and, yes, even the mountains in the distance.

After the week was done, she awoke, and slowly climbed out of her bed. She noticed that she felt much different, that where there had once been only legs were now wings, and that the world looked different through her eyes, that colors were brighter. She could even hear the song of butterflies as they flew through the air. She realized that she had turned into a butterfly, and with a flap of her wings and her heart leaping in joy, she began to float and glide on the gentle breeze. She understood now that her dreams of flying had taught her much and helped her imagination from the mind of a caterpillar, and the experience went far beyond that.

As she glided past the tree that she used to live in, she heard a voice, from below calling, "Butterfly, Butterfly, please teach me how to fly." She looked down and saw a caterpillar calling to her, and heard her own voice saying, "You'll know…soon enough."

By Anne Linden

Heard on the Street

100 Day Challenges - the Process

Ordinary things Done Exceptionally

Inspirations

Coachville 100DC started 2/16/09

Not like strength training?

Valentine romance @ Quartino's

Sounds of Valentine's Day

On Mastery

   "Tell me Master, what are masters
  for?" asked a young monk in all his
  juvenile candor.
   
   Father D'Evry smiled and replied,
  "Well, they're for nothing at all. They
  teach you what you already know, and
  show you what you have already seen."
   
   These words filled the disciple with
  confusion. He thought intensely,
  eyebrows furrowed, and then asked, "But
  Master, how does that help me? How can
  I learn from what I already know? Are
  you saying that a Master is useless to
  his disciple, and that I should be my
  own guide?"
   
   "Well, not exactly," Father D'Evry
  replied. "Consider this example: have
  you ever been captivated by a painting?"
   
   "Yes, I have," the young monk said.
  "I remember one painting that used to
  hang over the altar in my church at
  home. It was of a magnificent sunset,
  painted by a famous Italian artist, I
  forget his name now..."
   
   "And what did you find so interesting
  about the painting?" the Father asked.
   
   "I don't know... the details, the
  colours, the overall impression it
  gave. It was like having a model of a
  sunset right there in front of me."
   
   "But haven't you ever seen a sunset
  before?"
   
   "Yes, of course, but they were not as
  real."

(c)2005 www.positive-club.com