Line of Sight

We are nearing the end of the study of Prisoners of Our Thoughts and the end of the core values.  This week we discussed values six and seven:

6 - Shift the focus of your attention - deflect your attention from the problem situation to something else and build your coping mechanisms for dealing with stress and change.

7 - Extend beyond yourself - manifest the human spirit at work by relating and being directed to something more than yourself.

During week one, we discussed the space that exists between an experience and our reaction.  It's a space of choice and it can be so small as to be imperceptible to some, but with practice and intentionality it can grow until it feels expansive.  Shifting the focus of your attention is part of the expansion of that space.  We are bombarded by negative messages and conversations with acquaintances that are filled with tales of the latest sorrows.  Do we jump in with both feet or do we choose to shift our focus and dwell on the good?  A friend recently shared with me that she noticed that for her the difference between dwelling in negativity or dwelling in joy related to a choice as simple as whether she walked with her head looking down or with her head held up, looking forward.

"Thy Word is a light unto my feet."  How far out are you looking for that light?  Will it be found at your toes or far out ahead of you, but close enough to feel achievable?

When we gaze out into the distance, our field of view expands and more is included in our vision.  We see less of ourselves and more of what is going on in the world around us (physical and spiritual).  We see more of the needs, wounds, and sorrows.  Do we allow ourselves to become discouraged by them or do we embrace them as opportunities?  As opportunities, we can use our gifts to help and improve situations.  Dwelling in the space of our gifts, powerful outcomes will result, they will grab attention, and more opportunities will be presented, and the cycle will continue and our sphere of influence will expand.  Think about Joseph.  He looked out beyond his slavery and the walls of the jail to see God moving in the dreams of the men around him.  By keeping his eyes on God, his opportunities and influence expanded until he became the second in charge of Egypt as well as HIGHLY influential in the nations surrounding Egypt.

We may not feel like we have the potential of Joseph, but Joseph began where he was and so can we.

I suggest one of two exercises.  The first is from the book and is called de-reflection.  Begin with a situation that is a problem or that you want to change.  Think of a simple one-line description of the problem and come up with one or more analogous situations.  In the book, Pattakos uses the example of the merger of an organization being analogous to a marriage.  Then consider the analogous situation and solutions that apply to that situation, in this case to the first weeks of a marriage.  Write down the list.  Generate as many ideas as possible.  You then look at the list and determine what solutions can be applied to your situation.

The second is from engineering problem solving and is called the Double Back.  Once again you begin with a situation that is a problem or that you want to change.  Set a timer for 15 minutes and spend that time developing a list of all of the ways that the situation could be made worse.  No limits.  Go into the fantastic and unlikely and write down all of the answers as quickly as possible.  At the end of the 15 minutes, work back through the list and write down why each answer would make the situation worse for you.  For example, think of the merger.  One identified way to make it worse would be to block all phones in one organization from being able to contact the other organization.  Why is that a way to make it worse?  Because it cuts off communication.
With the list of things that would make the situation worse and why each would make it worse, you now have a list of core values, priorities, or solutions that are part of your paradigms when considering the situation.  You can now reflect on why these are of value to you and how you choose to respond in your situation.

Returning to the example:
Situation - Merger
Way to make it worse - Block all phones in one organization from being able to contact the other organization
Why does it make it worse - It cuts off communication
Personal Value or Belief - Clear and regular communication is of high value in understanding each other and building the relationships that will make the merger a success.
Final step - in what ways can clear and regular communication be encouraged by all parties involved in the merger and what does that look like?

Both exercises require time and undivided attention, but if you make the time for the effort I believe that you will be blessed with great fruits.

From A Distance

I spent a portion of today immersed in the stacks of a local bookstore.  I was considering the Christian book offerings, seeking options for future studies.  I stepped back from the shelves and in a moment became very aware of the seeming contradictions of the books and their messages.  Most of the books on the shelves had titles with great spiritual sounding themes, but the descriptions of the content were largely the same - 'author X has written a great book to help Christians help themselves with the struggle of Y.'

Help ourselves?

Help ourselves???

Where is God?  Where is Christ?  Where is the Holy Spirit?

Are the latest 'Christian' books simply reconstituted presentations of secular self help books wrapped in the language of the modern church?  Is this what the church's search for meaning and relevance in the 21st century is producing?

This week we have been considering Core Principles 4 and 5.

Core Principle #4 - Don't work against yourself

Avoid becoming so obsessed or fixated on an intent or outcome that you actually work against the desired result.

Core Principle #5 - Look at yourself from a distance

Only human beings possess the capacity to look at themselves out of some perspective or distance, including the uniquely human trait known as your "sense of humor."

In light of these principles, I have been considering my experience in the bookstore.  Has the American church become so fixated on being relevant and attractive to the secular that we are now actually working against ourselves and our unique purpose?  Seen from a distance, would the American church appear indistinguishable from the secular world?

I don't know the answer, but I am confident that God will help us to step back and view ourselves from a distance for a recalibration if we simply ask.  I fear that we may not like the answer.

Core Principles #2 & #3

Core Principle #2 - Realize your will to meaning Commit authentically to meaningful values and goals that only you can actualize and fulfill. What is your meaningful, big, audacious goal? What have you done this week to make progress toward that goal? Core Principle #3 - Detect the meaning of life's moments Only you can answer for your own life by detecting the meaning at any given moment and assuming responsibility for weaving your unique tapestry of existence. Each of us have experienced moments that were seemingly insignificant and only upon reflection can we see them for the deeply meaningful or life changing moments that they were.  What have you learned from these experiences and how have they made you more attuned to the meaning of the 'meaningless' moments?

Core Principle #1 - Exercise the freedom to choose your attitude

"Your life is a sacred journey. And it is about change, growth, discovery, movement, transformation, continuously expanding your vision of what is possible, stretching your soul, learning to see clearly and deeply, listening to your intuition, taking courageous challenges at every step along the way. You are on the path... exactly where you are meant to be right now... And from here, you can only go forward, shaping your life story into a magnificent tale of triumph, of healing of courage, of beauty, of wisdom, of power, of dignity, and of love."  
- Caroline Adams

Alex Pattakos begins his chapters on the core principle of exercising the freedom to choose your attitude by using a labyrinth as a metaphor for life. 

A labyrinth, like the one in Chartres, France shown above, is NOT a maze.  A maze has dead ends, stops, tricks, and traps that can challenge one as the seek the single path from the start to the end.  A labyrinth has a singular entrance and exit to a path that appears to meander, but seen from above has structure and meaning.  Labyrinths are intended to be walked with pauses to reflect upon the experience.  As a metaphor for life, I don't know that the meaning of the labyrinth can be stated better than the writer of lessons4living.com:

We are all on the path... exactly where we need to be. The labyrinth is a model of that path.

A labyrinth is an ancient symbol that relates to wholeness. It combines the imagery of the circle and the spiral into a meandering but purposeful path. The labyrinth represents a journey to our own center and back again out into the world. Labyrinths have long been used as meditation and prayer tools.

As a tool of prayer and meditation, the labyrinth is a path that is not intended to be walked alone.  Seekers share the path and those on the way inward share the path with those on their way outward; when one seeker pauses along the path, the other seekers join them in the pause.  

The Chartres labyrinth is one of the best-known labyrinths in the world, but it is not the only labyrinth or design in the world.  So of all of the options, how does one know that they are on the right path?

The feel os the right path is the feeling of alignment and harmony.  It is the path that aligns with one's divine purpose and meeting.  Remember that week one homework?  You identified your purpose and meaning, are you on the right path?

Living in accordance with your purpose and meaning requires many choices and not all of them are easy.  Each of us will have experiences, the actions of the world, and for every action there is a reaction.  Between the action and our reaction is a space.  Within that space is a choice and that choice is how we react.  For many, that space is very small, almost imperceptible.  When one exercises the freedom to choose their reaction (or attitude) in that space, the space enlarges and when that behavior is repeated the space between action and reaction becomes expansive.  It is in those expansive spaces where choices can be made to react, or not, in ways that are in accordance with one's purpose or meaning.  

Making the most of that space requires the ability to view situations with some detachment and to apply creative effort to envisioning possibilities that may not be readily apparent.  Creative effort.  EFFORT.  Let's apply training and diligence to developing the skills that help in that creative effort.  In Chapter 4, Pattakos describes the ten positive things exercise.  I encourage you to work through the exercise and develop your attitude choice creative muscle.

Do you want to read more?  Read Alex Pattakos' article in the Huffington Post 

Do you know your life's purpose?

‘I’m not a good cook, so I save everyone and no longer try to cook.’

‘I have a short temper.  My whole family has short tempers.  It’s genetic.’

‘This situation isn’t going to change so why fight it?’

‘Poor darlings - their father is an addict.  I wonder what their addictions will be.’

We’ve all heard variations of the above statements – predictions of the future based on beliefs about the current state.  They are the thoughts that become the prisons in which we place others and ourselves.  All of them reflect a lack of belief in the meaning and purpose filling the life of each person on this earth and their ability to rise above and use their current situation in service to that greater meaning and purpose.

Dr. Viktor Frankl, a world-renowned Jewish psychiatrist, observed these prisons of the mind while experiencing the harsh realities of the Nazi concentration camps.  They were often the only difference between those who survived the camps and those who did not.  These observations became the basis for his seminal work Man’s Search for Meaning, the text on which Alex Pattakos based Prisoners of Our Thoughts.

Why do you believe that you are here?  When life is particularly challenging, how do you understand your trials?  Do you see them as opportunities to expand your understanding of your life’s purpose and meaning?  Or do you see them as another in a long line of struggles and problems that you just need to get through and hopefully there will be something better on the other side?  Have you given up on the idea that there could be something better on the other side?  These are the questions that we are tackling.

The challenge for week 1 – identify in a sentence what is your life’s meaning or purpose.