Welcome to August and Ki Moments

Take a moment now to center, expand your ki, and be present with whatever you're doing or whomever you're with.

It's been a busy and educational month, including work with small business owners, corporate managers, ski industry professionals, nurses, physicians, and the defense industry -- from Bar Harbor to Baltimore.

I hope you enjoy this month's article - A Revolutionary Act. If you click the link at the end of the article, you can hear me sing Put On A Happy Face!

Good ki!
Judy Ringer
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A Revolutionary Act

I received many responses from July's article on "Negativity in the Workplace" including some great resources for turning negativity around.

It started with friend and colleague Barbara Wilson's email quoting Patch Adams: "The most revolutionary act one can commit in our world is to be publicly happy." We talk so easily about what we don't like. And yet it feels almost forbidden at times to talk about our happiness.

Barbara's email was followed by one from Olen Jones. Olen is in community relations with National Community Renaissance (National CORE), an organization that develops quality affordable housing throughout the U.S. Olen says there isn't a lot of negativity in his workplace, and one reason may be that CORE has an intranet Blog where contributors can post answers to questions like: "What's RIGHT with National CORE"?

Olen writes: As my friend Jim Lord says, "Isn't it interesting how easy it is to talk about what's wrong, but SO difficult to talk about what's right? It's almost like we have made some kind of agreement that this is how we will talk with each other -- like we find our connection with each other around how 'bad things are.' Hidden inside those conversations is an understanding of what we do want. Why not talk about that instead?" Focusing on what we do want allows us to move in that direction; there's just no movement in avoiding what we don't want! Why not focus on the possibilities contained in the 'positive attributes, good deeds, strengths, and acts of kindness' we have seen?"

This resonates with me. It sometimes seems as if there's an injunction against being too happy. We don't want to stand out from the crowd, appear different, weird, or as if we're putting on that happy face to show off or cover something up.

Olen put an assignment on the National Core blog for anyone interested in pursuing this line of positive inquiry. I offer it here, with Olen's permission, and I have already begun to practice it myself:

1. Think about three things that detract from your work experience.
2. Now ask yourself what are the things you value that are hidden inside those three things? For instance, if a pet peeve of yours is people showing up late and/or unprepared to meetings, a "hidden" value in that negative feeling might be "showing respect for other people's time."
3. Find the three values you're able to identify, and how they relate to your work.

Last week, I found myself heading in a negative direction when I stopped by a local retail store just prior to closing time only to find the owner had already gone home. I looked for the hidden positive value and realized how much I appreciate it when people keep agreements and commitments.

I'd love to hear how you used this exercise to turn your negative thoughts into positive ones.
Finally, as I re-read my article from last month, I noticed I too was focusing on the problem when I said "There are loads of articles on the Web about Negativity in the Workplace." I have since found there are at least as many sites that focus on the positive.

So I will leave you on three positive notes:

1. I realize I haven't sung for you in a while. So I hope you'll stop and enjoy 45 seconds of me singing, "Put on a Happy Face!"
2. Learn more about Patch Adams and his work.
3. And, enjoy the paragraph below on "The Art of Possibility," which ends with an inspiring 20-minute video clip. Have fun!

The Art of Possibility

I love to attend the Boston Philharmonic. Their music is beautiful and their conductor, Benjamin Zander, gives fascinating talks before the performance on what to listen for so that we can better appreciate what we are about to hear. Maestro Zander wrote a book on The Art of Possibility and presents on leadership, vision, and, as he refers to it, "one-buttock" playing!

Watch a Ben Zander video on possibility, passion, and "one-buttock" playing!

In a Pickle?

Would you like to nourish body, mind, and spirit at the same time? My friend and colleague, Joy Jacobs, has created some sweet and intelligent recipes for "cooking" up our life experiences in useful and positive ways. Healthy recipes for hummus, chicken noodle soup, sweet relish, and more lead the reader to even more nourishing food for thought in short articles like "The Rich Hummus of Failure" and "Relish the Day."

Joy will be teaching a workshop with me in October (Unlikely Teachers, Oct. 21). She's great and you'll love her book!

In a Pickle? is $10.00 plus shipping. To order your copy call Joy at 603-924-7008.

Contact Information
Judy Ringer
Power & Presence Training
76 Park Street
Portsmouth, NH 03801
voice: 603.431.8560
website: www.judyringer.com