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"Outside the Lines"
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Jeff Miller
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Feb 09, 2006 06:02 PST
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Greetings....
How many times were we told as children to stay in straight rows, color
inside the lines, and keep things as orderly as possible? And as
adults... do we find ourselves held hostage by those ideas? Order of
that kind is highly overrated... creation comes from chaos.... and in
the best of all words (a terrific paradox too) "controlled chaos".
The following is wonderful newsletter that gives ideas on how we break
free of some of those contraints. Info on how you can subscribe is
toward the bottom of it.
Be well.... /jeff
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------- Forwarded message follows -------
Send reply to: mich-@boxofcrayons.biz
From: “Michael Bungay Stanier"
To: "Subscriber" <colla-@earthlink.net>
Subject: Outside the Lines - Feb. 2006 - Fire and Ice
Date sent: Thu, 9 Feb 2006 02:24:52 -0500
If you have trouble viewing this message, view it online at:
http://www.boxofcrayons.biz/outside-the-lines/06-02.html
* Outside the Lines *
Monthly tools & techniques on how to get unstuck & get going on the
stuff that matters for coaches, trainers and managers, and anyone who
occasionally gets stuck.
Read in at least 86 countries**
In This Issue: February 2006
- Destruction & Creativity
- Don't take my word for it
- The 12 most powerful 'get unstuck' questions in the world... and why
they work so well
- Fire and Ice
- Free shipping ends February 28
- Just try and shut me up!
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* Destruction & Creativity *
Last month, Outside the Lines looked at deserts - both real and
metaphorical. Since then global warming - a driving factor behind
desertification - has been much in the news. Tony Blair, the UK Prime
Minister, introduced a report on climate change by the British Met
Office stating, "it is now plain that the emission of greenhouse gases
is causing global warming at a rate that is unsustainable." Meanwhile,
in President Bush's State of the Union speech, commentators noted that
any reference to global warming was conspicuously absent.
In this month's edition, we're looking at two other forces that are,
paradoxically, sources of both destruction and creativity: fire and ice.
At these extremes of temperature survival is not taken for granted. Here
lies danger and purification, life and death. Are you using these forces
in your own life? Or are you walking a safer route? (Remember, when you
combine fire and ice you just get lukewarm water...)
Know anyone for whom life is somewhat lukewarm? Please forward Outside
the Lines (in its entirety please) to anyone you think might be
interested. This community grows with your help.
I'd be delighted if you should wish to reprint (for free) any part of
Outside the Lines in your newsletters, websites, and message boards.
Contact me at mich-@boxofcrayons.biz for further details.
Michael Bungay Stanier
Principal, Box of Crayons
P.S. For my Toronto readers, I'm running public Get Unstuck & Get Going
workshops in partnership with The Learning Annex on February 15 and
March 14. You can learn more here:
http://www.learningannex.ca/instructor.taf?id=9052
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* Don't take my word for it *
"You do not really know your friends from your enemies until the ice
breaks."
Icelandic proverb
"Yesterday is ashes; tomorrow wood. Only today does the fire burn
brightly."
Inuit proverb
"Love is a snowmobile racing across the tundra and then suddenly it
flips over, pinning you underneath. At night, the ice weasels come."
Matt Groening
"What is to give light must endure burning."
Viktor Frankl
"It is not necessary to imagine the world ending in fire or ice. There
are two other possibilities: one is paper work, and the other is
nostalgia."
Frank Zappa
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* The 12 most powerful 'get unstuck' questions in the world... and why
they work so well *
I've recently released The 12 most powerful 'get unstuck' questions in
the world... and why they work so well, a free ebook for new subscribers
of Outside the Lines.
It does just what it says on the label.**
It's available to all readers of Outside the Lines here:
http://www.boxofcrayons.biz/newsletter-signup.php (You'll be asked for
your primary email, first name and country - but don't worry, this just
confirms your subscription details. You won't be receiving the
newsletter twice).
**Actually that's not true. There's a bonus 13th question, which makes
the other twelve work twice as well.
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* Fire and Ice *
Fire and ice are often portrayed as forces of destruction. And indeed,
they are.
But they are also, fundamentally, forces of life. Without fire and ice
life would not exist.
Ice is a physical anomaly. Unlike all other molecules, H20's solid form,
ice, is lighter than its liquid form, water (something that any of us
who enjoy a great gin and tonic appreciate with the clink of the
ice-cube in the glass). It's because as it approaches freezing point,
water begins not to shrink but to expand.
That's miraculous, and not only because it makes cocktails more
pleasurable. If ice didn't float on water, our oceans and seas would
freeze from the bottom up. Once frozen, they would probably stay frozen.
Life would not be able to exist as it does now under the ice. In fact,
it is likely that life would not have been able to start if ice didn't
so perversely ignore the basic rules of physics.
Fire is at the heart of our planet in its liquid form, magma. Slow and
powerful currents in the liquid core keep the 30 or so plates that make
up our planet's surface in constant motion. Sea floors spread as plates
move apart; mountain ranges build as plates crush together.
Without this motion and the consequent constant reshaping of the earth
surface, erosion would have worn down all Earth's features until it was
flat. And as Bill Bryson says in his endlessly fascinating book, A Short
History of Nearly Everything, "if Earth were perfectly smooth, it would
be covered everywhere with water to a depth of four kilometers. There
might be life in that lonesome ocean, but there certainly wouldn't be
baseball."
Equally, if we didn't inevitably endure some shaping and scarring forces
in our own lives - the fire of failure, the ice of shame - our lives
would be both more smooth and more bland. Some of us tend to veer away
from extremes in our own life, others plunge headlong into them. Either
way, as William Blake wrote over 200 years ago, "the road of excess
leads to the palace of wisdom." It is in these places of extreme we're
tested and our character is created.
Picasso wrote, "every act of creation is first an act of destruction," -
and with that in mind, here are some ways you can use the forces of fire
and ice in your own life.
SOMETHING TO PRACTICE
Think of a place where you're feeling stuck. It might be at work or in
your life outside work.
Here are two ways of using fire metaphorically that may serve you
- As a form of purification.
- What is it about you that needs to be burned away? What can you let go
of, that will lighten the load?
- As a form of discovery
- Where are the shadows here, the places about this challenge that you'd
rather not look? What if you shone the light in these shadowy places and
looked at what was there?
Here are two ways of using ice metaphorically that might serve you.
- As a form of slowing down.
- Ice occurs when water molecules stop and lock into place. If you
stopped being busy, how would that serve you? What do you need to stop
doing, so that you can start giving this challenge the attention it
needs?
- As a form of exclusion.
- Who do you need to "freeze out" that might be getting in your way?
WANT TO LEARN MORE? HERE ARE SOME USEFUL RESOURCES
Full Catastrophe Living, Jon Kabat-Zinn. A highly influential book about
using the wisdom of your body and mind to face and manage chronic pain
and illness.
A Short History of Nearly Everything, Bill Bryson. This is one of my
favourite books of all time. It not only makes science accessible and
even understandable, but it also makes you laugh and marvel at the
miracle of humanity existing. (We've had a lot of things go our way to
make it so).
The Revenge of Gaia, James Lovelock. Lovelock is a leading environmental
scientist who coined the term Gaia to describe Earth as a whole, living
system. This book is a pessimistic view of our collective future: he
says that we're moving inevitably towards a "hell of a climate". He's
also sparked controversy amongst environmental advocates by endorsing
nuclear power as the most sustainable form of energy.
Ring of Fire, sung by Johnny Cash. (And by me on a karaoke machine to
see in the New Year, although I think Johnny Cash has the edge). You can
read the lyrics here:
http://www.cowboylyrics.com/lyrics/cash-johnny/ring-of-fire-766.html
Comments? Feedback?
Mich-@BoxOfCrayons.biz
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* Free shipping ends February 28 *
Since we launched Get Unstuck & Get Going in September, we've offered
free shipping to our customers in over 40 countries around the world.
Canada Post has just increased shipping prices, so now we need to
increase ours. This means free shipping will end on February 28th.
So if you've been hesitating on buying something from the Get Unstuck
store - http://www.getunstuckandgetgoing.com/store.php - now's a great
time to act.
The best value is the Get Unstuck & Get Going tool. It's a substantial
tool - beautiful, practical - and packed with nuggets of wisdom,
powerful questions and a self-coaching process. (Octavius Black, author
of the UK's leading business book The Mind Gym says "it can shake us out
of mental autopilot in seconds and bring benefits that last for ages.")
Check it out for yourself here:
http://www.getunstuckandgetgoing.com/self-coaching-tool.php
There are other great products you can buy at the Get Unstuck store -
and if you buy before the end of the month, the shipping is free.
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* Just try and shut me up! *
In the coming months I'm speaking in person in Toronto, New York and
Prague, possibly in Bahrain, as well being interviewed by Marcia Wieder,
America’s Dream Coach, and holding my usual "international" teleforum.
You can find out the details here:
http://www.getunstuckandgetgoing.com/upcoming-events.php
Please note: the Get Unstuck & Get Going teleforum will now take place
every third Wednesday of each month (to help avoid conflict with various
national holidays). This month's call will be on Wednesday 22 at 2pm
EST. Register by sending an email to adm-@boxofcrayons.biz
As you might be able to guess, I love to speak or run workshops for
groups! Read more about the keynote and workshop topics I offer in this
PDF: http://www.boxofcrayons.biz/pdf/Keynote_Speaking_PDF.pdf
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* 'The Scribbler' *
Look for the next edition in your Inbox on Thursday, February 23rd with
guest writers Jen "The Comfort Queen" Louden and David Creelman, former
Head of Knowledge for HR.com.
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Michael Bungay Stanier helps people, teams and organizations to get
unstuck and get going on the stuff that matters. He is the author of Get
Unstuck & Get Going ...on the stuff that matters
(www.GetUnstuckAndGetGoing.com), a self-coaching tool endorsed by
leaders in the coaching and training professions, and creator of The
Eight Irresistible Principles of Fun (www.EightPrinciples.com), a movie
that's taken the internet by storm. He is the 2006 Canadian Coach of the
Year. You can find out more at www.boxofcrayons.biz or you can contact
him directly at Mich-@BoxOfCrayons.biz or +1 (416) 532-1322.
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To subscribe to Outside the Lines & The Scribbler click here:
http://www.boxofcrayons.biz/newsletter-signup.php If you have any
trouble accessing the form, send a blank email here:
mbungaystan-@autocontactor.com or to su-@BoxofCrayons.biz.
Outside the Lines is distributed on the 2nd Thursday of every month. The
Scribbler is distributed on the 4th Thursday of every month. Your
contact information is never traded, never rented, never sold.
(c) Box of Crayons 2006. Box of Crayons is a registered trading name of
Maida CC Inc.
**Outside the Lines is read in at least 86 countries:
Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Botswana, Bouvet Island, Brazil, British Virgin
Islands, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, China, Columbia, Costa Rica,
Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, El Salvador, England,
Ethiopia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland,
India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jamaica, Kenya,
Kuwait, Lithuania, Malawi, Malaysia, Mauritius, Mexico, Namibia, Nepal,
Netherlands, Netherland Antilles, New Zealand, Nigeria, Northern
Ireland, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal,
Puerto Rico, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Serbia and Montenegro,
Singapore, Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania,
Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Turkey, Ukraine, United States, United
Arab Emirates, Uruguay, US Virgin Islands, Venezuela, Wales, Yemen, and
Yugoslavia!
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