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Oct. 2008In this Issue: |
Lots of stuff churning this month… Like most self-employed folks, I’m also putting more energy into business development in order to keep the larder full. So if you know a person or organization that could benefit from the services I offer, please pass on the e-zine and my information (Coach Profile PDF). My essay below, The Soft Stuff, was inspired from coaching conversations with clients who have been affected by the economic downturn. Writing the essay reminded me of what Winston Churchill said about success: Success is going from failure to failure with enthusiasm. I like that. I’ve researched the origins of the word enthusiasm… from the Greek enthousiasmos… to be inspired, of spirit. Blessings of peaceSean Casey LeClaire *If you'd like to share this issue with a friend, they can view the newsletter online at http://www.seanleclaire.com/ezine/, or you can use the Forward link at the bottom of this issue. If you'd prefer not to receive future issues of Be The Change, click the Unsubscribe link at the bottom of this message. THE SOFT STUFFA ton of proverbial shit has hit the fan these past four months. The Boston Globe headline on October 7 was “Worldwide Worry.” The economy is finally catching up to a worldwide movement to slow down, take stock, (excuse the pun) and sink into a deeper dimension of being. Perhaps a new level of consciousness wants to come to light, one that recognizes and understands that worry is the interest we pay on fear. Coaching conversations have been most interesting of late. Much panic and worry has been present, and so have deep wisdom, reflection and a facing of the hard truth of current reality. Many clients have lost more than half of their wealth. A number of business leaders I coach require and can’t get bridge loans to cash flow their businesses. I’ve also had conversations with coaches and consultants whose businesses have ground to halt, as organizations and individual clients do what people tend to do when an economic downturn occurs—contract and cut the soft stuff like leadership development, life and executive coaching, meditation classes, well being at work programs, and other human potential support. Under pressure, leaders tend to forget a fundamental timeless wisdom principle: support equals release. Release from fear and desire. It’s just one man’s opinion, but I think that the tough-minded choose to do the exact opposite when fear and rhetoric rule the land. Tough-minded and conscious citizens dig deep, investment-spend and give their attention to the “soft stuff.” What exactly is the soft stuff? A CEO client with the bulk of his organization’s business based on Wall Street and I had an interesting discussion last week during our coaching session. I asked him what he might want to do if it all falls apart. There was resistance at first, then rich conversation about what he could do, as possibility and creativity began to flow. He identified six possibilities. We spoke about deeper aspects of timeless wisdom principles that were in play in his and everyone’s life. I was moved by his contribution to our conversation and his courage to step back and see the bigger picture. The choice to step back is the soft stuff. His choices will direct where he places most of his attention, on the shit spinning on the fan or the fan… On the ever-changing weather or the un-changing deep blue sky behind the weather… Only on the top line numbers, tactics and strategies, or more on Identity, Purpose and Values—on fear or love. For me, the soft stuff is stopping, and asking myself what love would do in a given situation. Last month, I chose to send a personal email, proposing an idea and sharing what I thought about the current state of leadership in this country. It was a passionate plea (with incorrect math) and I learned a lot about where folks were at and how my mind can still tend to act more from restless passion than Presence, when I am frightened. The soft stuff is waiting for Presence to return, before acting. Each of us must find our own way into what works. Character and flaws in character are revealed during times of great tension. Conscious and unconscious beliefs rise to the surface for healing during times of great tension. The opportunity for transformation is never more palpable than in times of great tension, as friction opens deep chasms of fear and opportunities for healing, transformation and love-in-action. Never before has the principle of HOW been so important in our lives… Honesty, Openness and Willingness. One wise client spoke about how real “wealth” is having an abundance of each HOW quality. Money comes and goes. Money doesn’t make the world go round. Money is not “soft stuff.” Money is simply energy. Energy follows attention. The soft stuff is learning how to train our attention. The most powerful skill a human being can develop is the ability to direct their attention at will. I’ve found that such soft stuff training is actually the hard stuff. Recently two friends sent me a priceless pictorial detailing how the sub-prime market collapse happened. Check it out (click here to download a PowerPoint PPS). Soft stuff is friends taking the time to remind me not to get hooked into what the world’s financial markets are doing. Soft stuff is Rule 62 (Don’t take yourself or the things of this world too seriously.) Harriet Rochlin writes, “Laughter can be more satisfying than honor; more precious than money; more heart-cleansing than prayer.” I’m still laughing at the honest and hilarious depiction of greed! Laughter is the soft stuff. When I think of “soft stuff” I think of this: a friend inviting me to live with him in his small home when I was first separated from my ex-wife, the old man who drove me to my junior golf tournaments, a man allowing me to weep uncontrollably on his shoulder, a woman with MS who doesn’t give up, an American mountaineer building schools for children in Pakistan, an alcoholic putting down the booze, a CEO and his Board taking a 67% loss in revenue and not letting one person go during an economic downturn… they’re working it through with everyone in the company. Things are slowing down, thank God. Perhaps, it is time for each of us to dig deep, and intensify our “soft skills” development, while the shit continues to spin on the fan. God knows I need to. So I’ve enrolled in a week-long Awareness training intensive in November, which I cannot currently afford, but the organization has a payment plan, with no interest. Now that policy is the soft stuff.BODY-CENTERED BREAKS (BCBs)The Body-Centered Break is a body-focused inquiry and awareness meditation lasting only two minutes and done whenever and wherever you are in your day. Benefits as described by coaching clients include: calmness of mind, overall sense of well-being, sharpened mental focus, reduced anxiety, increased ability of autonomous nervous system to recover rapidly from stress, and an increased capacity for learning. CLICK here for an audio-guided BCB at any time you feel the need to slow down and center into yourself. Enjoy the Benefits NOW! NEW Body-Centered Breaks Body-Centered Break (BCB) History Legs and Feet The Maserati HeartBeat Sitting in Your Seat The Pause SHARED WISDOMSuccess is going from failure to failure with losing enthusiasm.
POEM …A night full of talking that hurts,
INQUIRYWhat can human being offer God? WORKSHOPS & EVENTS
Journey of Divorce™ Base Camp RIGHT ACTIONTo learn more about slowing down, click here: Slow Down Practices |
Men's Meditation and Mindfulness Group 
© 2008 Sean Casey LeClaire, all rights reserved. |
