The Kaleidoscope Explained…

So, last time I said I’d explain how life is like a kaleidoscope.

If you’re familiar with them, kaleidoscopes are way cool.  With fixed parameters and a limited number of pieces, there are infinite pictures that can be created.  Nothing added.  Just a rearrangement of the parts, whether its with a big rotation or just a teeny, tiny shift.

So, with each turn, new possibilities are created as pieces fall into place.

I used to use this analogy when I was a consultant focusing on transformation/change management and motivating people to maximize their potential.

Here’s the deal: We each have different strengths and talents… and crosses to bear.  And whatever the situation, we’ve handled it all and lived to tell the story.  We may have done it with our heads in the sand… or faced things head-on… but however we rose to the challenge, we had it within ourselves to solve the problem, meet the deadline, confront our demons or rely on our faith, patience and judgment to just ride the waves of the tsunami until it all blew over.

I’ve heard the stories about the mom who suddenly could lift the back end of a car to get her child out from under it.  Undeniably awesome.  If I could have asked her the day before the crisis if she had the strength to lift the back end of a car, I’m sure she would have looked at me incredulously and answered with an emphatic, “No way!!  I could NEVER do that!”

What you do doesn’t have to be huge.  Remember, “lille bit by lille bit”.

Do a quick scan of things you’ve accomplished (or survived) when you thought at the time you couldn’t.  Once you’ve given yourself a well-deserved pat on the back, do another scan of things that you don’t think you have it in you to do.

Then remember that your life is a kaleidoscope.  You have all the tools, knowledge and determination to do what you want to do.  It may take doing a 180, and, then again, you may just have to tweak your inner voice and give that kaleidoscope a wee little turn so that you get the picture you want to see.

Make it happen.  Make new choices.  Find the opportunities in the challenges.  Give your kaleidoscope a turn or two and see the existing pieces from a new perspective.  You already have what it takes – you just have to realize it, believe it, and live it.

That’s what I’m struggling with now.  And it’s an ongoing process.  I’m not saying that one day we can just stand up and say, “I can do anything, and, by gosh I’m going to do it all!!”  I’m saying do one thing.  Then do another.  The rest will follow – you’ll build momentum.  I’ve recently re-enrolled in continuing education classes at the School of Life and each day, whether unintentionally or by design, I learn something new or see something from a new perspective – my own kaleidoscope in action.

Sometimes I don’t get the picture I want right away, but I know that the more I keep discovering new ways to rearrange my pieces, I see incremental successes and am encouraged to see what else I can do that I didn’t think I could do before.

Photo: Revolving Colors, grjenkin on flickr

Stop Thinking and Start DOING

“Lille bit by lille bit” (little bit by little bit, with Ls instead of Ts) was one of my mother’s pearls of wisdom, articulated with a Ukrainian accent in a compassionate and supportive tone.  She had many of these pearls, which, over time I’ll share with you.  Essentially, this one focuses on the “bite-size” or “baby step” approach to applying all that you already have to your life, what you make of it and how you live it.

I’ll explain the kaleidoscope analogy in another blog installment.  First things first: what follows is my first attempt at a blog when I was still blogless.  I sent this one to one of my trusted advisors, who wrote back, “While I’m reading this, why don’t you sign up for a blog?”.  So I did.  I stopped thinking and started doing.

I’m The Idea Girl.  I’m a strategist.  I map things out.  I develop solutions.  I have great ideas.  And lots of them.  Ideas for me, ideas for others.

It was recently brought to my attention by a trusted advisor and muse that I seem to fall back on, “Well… I’ve been doing some more thinking about this idea, and…” instead of actually starting to do something with that idea, and thinking more along the way.  She gave me a less-than-gentle nudge to take action.  Her exact words were: “Stop thinking and start DOING!”

The trouble I have with DOING is that I think I have to set out a plan, be in the right frame of mind, get the timing right, and be motivated before I can take action.  And it’s hard to get motivated to “do”, as many of us know very well.  One of my mentors has always maintained that ACTION breeds MOTIVATION, not the other way around.  So I have to jump in with both feet and stop waiting to be motivated to act on my ideas.

This first blog is my effort to “start DOING.”   It was part of my new website plan which — you guessed it — I haven’t acted upon yet!  (I’m still thinking about it.)    😛

And, you know what?  That action motivates you to take further action makes so much sense.  Even if it’s something like cleaning out a closet or sorting photos.  Or orchestrating a career change.  Or researching a new cell phone plan (ARGH!!).  Or writing a blog to motivate people to maximize their full potential.  Once you actually start doing, it motivates you to do more.

You’ll see what I mean if you try this: Set a timer for 10 or 15 minutes.  Begin your task, even if it’s a big one, knowing that when the timer goes off, you can stop.  Chances are, you won’t stop when the timer beeps.  I’ve done this a few times when I knew that I really had more than the allotted time available, and in every instance, I wanted to continue to do a bit more because I felt so good with the progress I was making that I didn’t want to lose my momentum.  And it thrilled me to know what I was capable of doing.

It’s like having your sadistic personal trainer make you do “just a few more” reps even though your muscles are utterly fatigued and you are convinced you can’t possibly do one more … and then you pull four more out of nowhere.  You had no idea you could do it.  I had no idea I could do it.  And then I did it!

Thomas Edison knew this, way back in the day.  He said, “If we did all the things we are capable of, we would literally astound ourselves.”  And look what Edison did!

Astound yourself.  Stop thinking and start DOING.