The Art of Possibility 15 of 15: Zander on Ted.com
February 11, 2010 by dr. lam · 3 Comments
I want to end this blog series by having Mr. Zander speak for himself. There is no more passionate or inspiring person that I have met than Mr. Zander, and I am fortunate to have talked with him, joked with him, and listened to him. Here he is in a shortened lecture he gave on one of my favorite sites about new ideas, ted.com.
The Art of Possibility 14 of 15: Nelson Mandela and the Art of Possibility
February 10, 2010 by dr. lam · 3 Comments
Everyone knows that Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for 27 years in South Africa. (Curiously, tomorrow Mandela celebrates his twentieth anniversary of freedom, as he was set free February 11, 1990.) What people may not know is that 15 years into his prison stint, he was given the chance for freedom. Mandela asked on what conditions. He was told that he would need to give up the hope for a free South Africa. Upon hearing that, Mandela turned back to his cell to serve the remainder of his 27 years.
Here are some words that Mandela shared about the art of possibility:
Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate,
Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.
It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.
We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous-
Actually, who are you not to be?
You are a child of God.
Your playing small doesn’t serve the world.
There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people
Won’t feel insecure around you.
We were born to make manifest the glory of God within us.
It is not just in some of us: it is in everyone,
And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously
Give other people permission to do the same.
The Art of Possibility 13 of 15: Second Fiddle-itis
February 9, 2010 by dr. lam · 9 Comments
Second fiddle-itis is commonly known as playing second fiddle. The second violinists are oftentimes viewed as inconsequential players in an orchestra. However, Zander looks to them for the same leadership and contribution as the first violinists. Many times their contribution can bring out the majesty in a musical piece that would not otherwise be there.
How often do we think what we do is inconsequential? “Oh, what she does is so much more important than what I do. I am just here passing my time to get to a better place in life.” If we start to think about how we can contribute in any small or big ways, we can get over our second fiddle-itis and begin to make a difference in our life and those who are fortunate enough to meet us.
The Art of Possibility 12 of 15: How Fascinating
February 5, 2010 by dr. lam · 11 Comments
In the blog about “one-buttock playing”, we talked about how passion can change the world and unleash one’s own desire for life and for living, how ailments can disappear, and how our world can be shaped differently.
Why then do we not live this way? Oftentimes it is out of fear: fear of living differently, fear of failing, fear of letting someone else down, and fear of letting ourselves down.
Zander helps us to see things differently. He encourages us when we make a mistake to throw up our arms way into the air and exclaim, “How fascinating!” I now have my staff say the same thing. We need to encourage passionate living so that we can accept our own mistakes and those of others more easily. “How fascinating!” Try it!
The Art of Possibility 11 of 15: The Monk’s Story
February 4, 2010 by dr. lam · 2 Comments
An Abbott in a far away forest was opining the decimation of his monastic order down to his own being the last branch. He visited a Rabbi in a nearby hermitage for advice. After a nice luncheon, the Abbott turned to the Rabbi and asked, “Do you have any advice for me on how to save my order that is slowly dying since obviously the spirit of the people is absent?” The Rabbi turned to him and said, “I am experiencing the same problems as you are. No, I have no advice for you. However, I have to tell you that one of you is the Messiah.” The Abbott puzzled returned to his monastery to share this news.
Everyone began to wonder in hushed tones who it could be. Of course, it must be the Abbott since he has been our leader for so many years. It couldn’t be Brother Thomas because he is so passive. But somehow Thomas always shows up at the right time for those in need. Hmmmm. How about Father Peter? He is so crotchety but he is so wise. What if it is I? Could I be the Messiah? Surely not, but maybe yes.
After a while, the monks began to treat each other with great respect and adoration in fear that they would mistreat the Messiah among them. Then they started to treat themselves with the same respect in case he himself were the Messiah. Occasionally, people from the town would stop by the forest to picnic. As tales were told of the friendly monks, more and more people began to picnic and spend time in the forest near the monastery. Some men actually joined the order to be part of what was going on. Then more and more people joined the order and greater throngs spent their free time in the forest.
How often do we treat ourselves and others with disrespect? What would happen if we only saw the best in others and the best in ourselves? How would that change the world?