Resourcing the Revolution

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The Unexpected Benefits of Being a Beginner

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When is the last time you tried something you’ve never done before?

Or, better yet: when is the last time you approached something familiar with the eyes (and mind) of a beginner?

Toward the end of last year, I decided that I needed a kick in the arse to get my personal yoga practice back to a more regular schedule. To help me get back in the swing of things, I signed up for the Wanderlust 21-Day Challenge.

It’s a free challenge that takes about 20 minutes a day, and by the end you’ll be familiar with 60 yoga poses and a vinyasa flow practice.

Since I’m a Hatha teacher and practitioner, I decided that learning a new style would be a good way to kick off the new year.

That being said, between the time I signed up and the challenge started earlier this week, I managed to get myself back into a regular practice that’s split between home and in-studio.

When Monday rolled around and I started to watch the first video, my immediate reaction went something like this:

“They’re starting with how to sit comfortably? I’ve been doing yoga for almost a decade! I don’t need to know how to do this. Get me outta here!”

Being comfortable can be painful

The good news? I didn’t listen to that voice.

I stayed planted on my mat and kept the video running, despite the mental protestations running through my head.

And what I discovered by the end of that 20 minutes surprised me.

By putting aside my preconceived notions and sitting with my discomfort, I slipped back into beginner’s mind.

Rather than pretending I knew everything there is to know – which is SO not the case – I gained much more than just 20 minutes of asana practice.

The teacher becomes the student

As a yoga teacher, I do my best to explain the asana practice in a way that makes sense to my students, that allows them to feel their way into the poses in a safe and beneficial way.

And while I come from a teaching lineage that has very precise language for this, there’s still so much that I can learn.

By opening up my mind to a different approach, I’m learning as much about how to describe the poses to my students as I am about how they feel in my body.

All this because I allowed myself to step back onto my yoga mat as a beginner.

Taking beginner’s mind off the mat and into the world

This experience has me thinking.

Where else in your life can you bring this in?

Are there places in your life where you just go with the flow, sticking to what you know because it’s how you’ve always done it?

While doing what you’re good at – in a way that you’re comfortable with – is an efficient way to work, there may be some surprising benefits to bringing a beginner’s mind to your life and work.

What is one small area where you can bring a beginner’s open mind and curiosity into your experience? Let me know in the comments!

2012 (A Year in Review)

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2012-review_6402012 was the year that it was all supposed to end (again). December 21 wasn’t that long ago, and it turns out the Mayan calendar didn’t foretell the end of the world. Maybe it was just a big shift in cosmic energy at play, or maybe it was just another year, another spin around the sun.

Whatever 2012 was for any of us, it has now drawn to a close, the back cover closing on chapters already written, our quests coming to an end and 2013 laid out in front of us, a new blank journal upon which to sketch out the coming days and months.

Rather than a chronological remembering of the past year, I offer instead a categorical retelling of the year past and a small glimpse into the year ahead.

Environment

We Are Power Shift – I was selected for the inaugural National Leadership team at the end of 2011. As a team, we started planning at the beginning of the year, and were able to come together in person for a long weekend in Washington, DC this past February. Since then, we’ve been busy getting things going behind the scenes, tweaking and changing as we went along. This month, we’ll be announcing a new and improved organizational structure for the team.

350.org – This year saw my biggest involvement with the national group to date, but will most likely not be my biggest year ever. The week after I got back to Charlottesville from the Power Shift planning weekend, I got a call from 350, asking if I could get on a plane the next day to go to Minneapolis for their National Leadership Summit. After spending this second long weekend with amazing activists, I was ready to take on the world!

The next month, I was invited to an event at the White House with 350’s policy director. In May, I pulled together a day of action for Climate Impacts Day with the help of the folks with the local Transition movement. One of the most exciting developments happened toward the end of the year, when we were finally able to get the interest and involvement necessary to start a regional chapter of 350. It’s called 350 Central Virginia and we are having our first public meeting at the end of January!

EarthWeek – 2012 was the year I took the helm of Earth Week as Chair of the Board of Directors, and my first Eco Fair as the person in charge (described by the former Director as “s/he who gets the most email). We saw a change in venue and a very successful day, despite 55 degree drizzly weather. This year, we’re expanding even more and already working on the 2013 Eco Fair.

Vegetarian Festival – What happens when the group who was planning an event for the past 15 years decides that it’s time to move on to other things? In most places, the festival would have died, but this year saw a group of private citizens pick up the reins and run with it. I was contacted to be a part of the planning group who put together this year’s festival, and even though we only had about 2 months of planning time, we managed to pull off an amazing event.

Personal

When the time came to start thinking about how I was getting across the country for the second World Domination Summit, I realized that this could be the perfect opportunity to check an item off the ‘ole bucket list (which I don’t actually have, but apparently you can check things off a non-existent list). I got to work and planned out my across the country by train route – the trip ended up being quite the adventure, with several last minute changes to itinerary and route; it ended up looking something like this:

Amtrak from Charlottesville to the middle of nowhere, WV * derecho * 2 different charter buses to Chicago * Amtrak from Chicago to Portla… whoops!… Seattle (due to a coal train derailment) * overnight in Seattle * Amtrak to Portland * a week in Portland, and another awesome WDS (link) * Amtrak to San Francisco * three days exploring San Fran * a far less eventful flight back to the east coast than the first year (aka I got back the same day I left, and with my luggage in tow)

Despite the adventures (or perhaps because of them), I’ve been officially bitten by the travel bug. I’m headed back out to Portland in a week, and am working on the logistics for a trip to Oslo, Norway in April. I’m looking forward to whatever adventures the world has in store.

2012 also granted me recognition of the importance of stillness and introspection. As a birthday present to myself, I spent four wonderful days in complete silence at Satchidananda Ashram in October. Better known as Yogaville around this area, one of the key teachings at the ashram is that “truth is one, paths are many.” Spending such an extended period of time in silence (no communication, no electronics, internal silence) was an intense experience, but the feeling of joy that comes from stillness and being purely in a moment is something that I have tried to bring with me into my everyday life. I have been more diligent about my yoga practice this year than ever before – I have been practicing since 2008, but have shifted my priorities to ensure that I take time on the mat at least twice a week (more if possible).

Charlottesville had a special visitor the week I returned from my retreat – the Dalai Lama spent a day in the city, giving two separate talks on health, peace and compassion. I picked up tickets for the “cheap seats” in the Paramount for the live broadcast, which turned out to (probably) be much more pleasant than being crammed into the Pavilion with thousands of other people, unable to see or hear him!

Design and Writing

This year, the safety net was removed. From the first day that I started my business, I always had a part time safety net under me. This past January, I transitioned out of that part time job after finishing up a contract with the company. I’ve been learning the true meaning of the feast and famine cycle of freelancing, and being out on my own has resulted in some hard-learned lessons. The good news is that it’s the end of the year and I’m still standing. This year will see some additional evaluation of my business and where I am headed, but I have survived my second year of being in business – I call that a success!

I did some serious investing in my business this year, taking a couple of classes and continuing to build my network. I’m learning more every day, and continue to apply lessons learned to my business practices. Another in my list of firsts (and learning experiences) was taking on the responsibility of founding a cooperative business. I’ve been working as part of the marketing team, focused on communications and social media.

One of the greatest experiences of the year was participating in the second Charlottesville Startup Weekend. It’s a crazy weekend where entrepreneurs, developers, designers and business folk come together to start a company… in a single weekend. Friday night saw the lineup of pitches (I hadn’t planned on pitching, but got up anyway, and actually ended up with votes for my idea!) and by Saturday morning, teams had formed and we were off. I joined a rogue team (who ended up getting voted “most likely to get acquired…”) that is still working on our mobile application. The bestie app is currently in beta, and we’re looking at a late winter launch of a Kickstarter campaign!

I have been a member of Writer House here in Charlottesville for a couple of years, but this year I also joined an online group of writers called The Literati [affiliate link]. Started by my friend Dave, this group has really shaped my vision of who I am as a writer, and has been the inspiration for a lot of soul searching and dedication to finding and fine tuning my authentic voice.

And, finally, what year would be complete without NaNoWriMo? This was my sixth year as a participant, and my fifth win, crossing the 50,000 word mark with a few hours to spare. I started the month with a vague idea of what my novel was about (spaceships, a dying Earth) and flung thousands of words at the page every day. I also spent quite a bit of time at Writer House write-ins with some of my favorite people, word warring and cursing at our screens. All in all, another successful and entertaining month.

Lessons Learned

One of the greatest lessons I learned this year is the necessity for authenticity in all things. If I am to help others find their authentic voice in the online sphere, to help them mold and express their brand, then I must also be true to who I am and “know thyself”.

I had several instances this past year where friends or colleagues recommended my work to someone else, but in their advertising sold me as something I’m not. Needless to say, when those potential clients or partners looked at my work with what we’ll call “incompatible expectations”, things didn’t turn out well. After it happened again, it hit me – if I cannot pinpoint precisely who I am and what I offer to the world, then how can I expect others to understand and champion my work?

This year, my early focus will be on refining the inner, authentic workings of who I am and what I have to offer this world, so that I can accurately brand myself and my business.

Time Marches On

So, 2013. Here we stand, on the precipice of great things. I know not what the future holds, but I hold within myself the keys to shaping my path. With clarity of mind and presence of being, I take my first steps into the new year, tracing my story onto the waiting blank pages.

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes (and other fun developments)

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changes_640It’s that time again. Another Tuesday rolls around, and with it another opportunity to reevaluate the purpose behind this blog.

Next month will mark a year of weekly posts, never a skipped week, and only on occasion of a technical error a missed Tuesday. I have written in the past about the reasons behind my decision to stick to a posting schedule, and today I’m making the decision to change my format.

Over this past year, I have participated in conversations with other bloggers, other writers – and there has never been a clear winner in the “how often is best to post” discussion… other than the fact that truly killer content wins out every time. I have come to the realization that my writing efforts are best focused elsewhere, to other projects and new ventures.

So, today I leave you with the promise that I plan to keep writing here, but I’m officially giving myself permission to step away from the weekly posting schedule. I’ll be announcing a new project soon, something I’ve been working on since the spring, and putting together a year in review post to talk about what I’ve learned over the last year of blogging.

Until then, happy Tuesday, and happy changes.

Continuing Education (or: always be learning)

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education_640Two points, one post:

1. As a former teacher, I lament the loss of school systems that actually teach children how to think; with the advent of No Child Left Behind and a strict adherence to the SOLs (Standards of Learning), we are slowly building generations of young people who have learned how to memorize and regurgitate specific information – nothing more, nothing less. If it’s not on the SOLs, it’s not important. I know that there are still teachers in the field who are fighting the good fight, attempting to teach their students how to think independently and how to learn on their own, and I am incredibly grateful to know that such teachers still exist.

2. Recent news from the education front seems to indicate a trend: traditional higher level education is worth less than it used to be. This might not be the case with more specialized fields, but it holds true in many progressive (read: constantly advancing) job fields. Especially in technical fields like software development (with a never-ending cascade of new programming languages and ever-evolving technology coming down the pipeline), a traditional four year degree may see students graduating from college who have spent obscene amounts of money on a piece of paper that proudly declares that they have a degree in now-outdated languages, technologies and methods.

Those two points being raised, it makes me wonder how well we are equipping future generations to forge a path for themselves. Being of the college-graduate-who-no-longer-utilizes-her-degree category (hello, music education major who changed career paths less than 5 years after graduation), I can say that my college experience was highly beneficial, but more for the experience of learning how to learn, and widening my horizons. It’s still a good idea to go through college if you want to be a teacher, being that it’s one of those more traditional, specialized fields that requires licensure after degree completion.

That being said, when I decided to switch directions, I chose to go a more vocational route. I looked at grad school as an option, but realized that as an aspiring digital designer, by the time I completed the program I would not only be broke (and very much in debt), but I would have invested my time and money into learning that was cutting edge a decade ago. Not so great as investments go!

So, what’s the answer? Good question.

Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” ~ Gandhi

Many of my amazing colleagues in the design and development fields are self-taught. These folks have made the decision to invest in themselves in a less traditional manner, by jumping in and learning as they go as opposed to spending years chained to one institution or one course of study. Many of them have made a name for themselves along the way, carving new paths as they moved forward – not being molded by any one brand of teacher or academy, they are less stifled by other people’s methods and thereby more likely to be unique.

Personally, I have made it one of my goals to invest in myself and my business this year. I spent the first year-plus concentrating so hard on finishing up my last two semesters, focusing on clients and exterior projects that I never left time for myself. Reason number one I had a less than stellar website during that period of time? You guessed it!

Starting this past spring with my site redesign, and continuing into the foreseeable future, I’m changing that pattern. It took a while, but I finally came to the realization that it’s a win-win situation; I’m learning more and becoming better at everything I do, which benefits not only me, but my clients as well.

Coming full circle to my point about our youngest generations never being taught how to learn, I really want there to be a vector change in that situation. Without early education, it makes it incredibly difficult for these students to make the investment in themselves later in life.

But… maybe I’m wrong, and maybe these kids will be the first generation to really teach themselves starting from a younger age. With the wealth of information readily available at our fingertips, it’s possible to learn without a teacher, outside the establishment. Let’s hope that as education undergoes a massive transformation, we don’t lose our students in the wake.

As for me, I’ll be here in my little corner of the world, drinking in the world around me; always learning.

Astrology (and other asides)

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astrology_640Ever have one of those days where you have a million ideas, but you just can’t get any of them to stick?

Today was one of those days for me. And, it just so happened that a friend picked up a copy of one of the local weekly rags and read my fortune to me. I usually don’t pay attention to astrology, but at this particular juncture in my life, it resonated with me:

A starfish that loses an arm can grow back a new one. It’s an expert regenerator. According to my understanding of the astrological omens, you are entering a starfish-like phase of your cycle. Far more than usual, you’ll be able to recover parts of you that got lost and reanimate parts of you that fell dormant. For the foreseeable future, your words of power are ‘rejuvenate, restore, reawaken and revive.’ If you concentrate really hard and fill yourself with the light of the spiritual sun, you might even be able to perform a kind of resurrection.

I dig it. With everything that has gone on in the past year of my life, it’s a time for restoration. It’s necessary every once in a while to dig deep and take a look at where you are on the path, where you want to be, where your energy is going. Now that I have a few more hours in the day, it’s time for some soul-searching.

Reawakening still in progress…

Trains, Buses (and automobiles)

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trains-buses_640(Yes, that was a pathetic play on “Planes, Trains and Automobiles”… but air travel doesn’t really fit with today’s topic!)

At the end of last year, I finally sold my car, after months of attempting to do so.

While I was initially unsure of how my first foray into the car-free lifestyle would work out, I was hopeful. The choice was a conscious one, from both an environmental and financial standpoint.

So, now that I have spent the past three months sans vehicle, I wanted to give an update on where I stand with my decision.

While it has made certain aspects of my life more difficult, my hands-down response to the car-free life: I LOVE IT!

Yes, I have to think ahead when I’m going somewhere, to make sure that I leave enough time to walk. Or, I have to check the transit schedule, to see what buses are running when.

But, overall, the choice has absolutely set me free.

Now that I work completely for myself, I don’t have to commute to an office. I get my groceries from the farmer’s market, grocery stores close to downtown, or from the awesome folks at Relay Foods. I have everything that I need within walking distance, and I couldn’t be happier.

I occasionally borrow a car from a friend, if I have to make trips out somewhere that transit doesn’t reach (like my accountant’s office), or for a last minute trip to Washington, DC when Amtrak was sold out.

Now, any time I sit in traffic, I realize how much I dislike driving. Sitting on Interstate 66 on the way into DC several weeks ago, I ended up suppressing a ridiculous amount of rage as traffic crawled, stopped, and lurched. It was such a relief to finally park at the Vienna Metro and sit down on the train.

What used to be an uncomfortable proposition has now become my preferred mode of transportation.

Yes, you heard that right. I used to be scared to take the bus.

Let that sink in a moment. I grew up in a small rural area, where the only way to get anywhere was by car. I spent most of my life relying on a car to get where I needed to go. Even when I was in college, I still had a car. I (gasp!) used to be a member of a motorsports club, and a grid worker for the National Auto Sport Association. I never rode the bus, and had no idea how the system worked – I was scared because it was an uncertain.

Now, I dread getting behind the wheel. Traffic, gas prices, the whole process that lies behind the scenes of vehicle ownership – it just doesn’t appeal to me any more.

And, let’s not forget the environmental impacts of our dependence on individual automobiles. I was struck by this piece, by the Center for Investigative Reporting, titled “The Price of Gas” – though it was written almost a year ago, it was making the rounds again recently.

With gas prices rising at the pump, and with the knowledge of what our dependence on fossil fuels is doing to our planet, I can’t help but think that my decision was the best one – both for me, and for the planet. I know that buses and trains also use petroleum based products, but it’s at least a step in the right direction. Mass transit, done correctly, can have a huge impact on the health of our planet. (Look at Europe.)

So. For the foreseeable future, I’ll be that girl walking around Charlottesville. I need to get my bike out from under its cover and pump up the tires now that the weather has warmed up. And maybe I’ll see you on the bus!