Ordinary Time!

I've shared with you that I was able to do some traveling in the past couple of weeks. It's always nice to get away and have a break from the everyday routine of life.

However, most of life actually gets lived in the everyday, Ordinary Time of life.  In fact, part of my spiritual life has included connection with a tradition that had various seasons of the year, and one of those was actually called Ordinary Time. While Ordinary Time was dispersed throughout the year, it was the longest part of the annual calendar of seasons when you added it all up. In other words, that tradition recognized that most of life is lived in the Ordinary, which means we have to learn how to live well in that everyday, Ordinary reality.  

The truth is, it's great to take time away and experience new places and new adventures, but that's only a tiny slice of life. If that kind of life was our regular routine, it would eventually become like our Ordinary Time. So it's important to appreciate the extraordinary, smaller times of adventure, but the real secret to living and leading well is to learn how to thrive and find the extraordinary in the midst of Ordinary Time! 

I think part of the secret to this is learning to see the familiar with fresh eyes and appreciation as much as possible.  For example (and I may have shared this with you before), I live in a beautiful place in Northern California, surrounded by mountains on three sides - East, North & West.  Even though I see this scenery everyday of my life when I'm home, most days I don't see these extraordinary views at all.  They just blend in and disappear. However, there are moments when I can pause a little bit, breathe deep, and take it in with a sense of awe and true appreciation.

And that seems to be the key to learning how to thrive and find the extraordinary in the midst of everyday, Ordinary Time - slow down, breathe a little deeper, and look around with a renewed sense of awe and wonder.

If you were to slow down and take some deep breaths today, then look up with some fresh eyes, what might you see that you often overlook? Besides beautiful landscapes, can you also see beauty in the scenery of your relationships? What else might be extraordinary in the midst of your Ordinary? How could you approach your Ordinary Time with a new sense of awe and appreciation?

Here's to embracing the beauty of Ordinary Time this week!

Be Well,

Stephen

Center was created to support individuals and teams so they can live from their Purposeful Center.  We specialize in professional coaching and leadership development and we’d love to support you!  Click on our Services page to book a free consultation

Freedom

As we approach the 4th of July this week, it felt like a good opportunity for a very simple reminder regarding the freedom we have as people in the United States.

First, it's important to remember that these freedoms were not received without a significant amount of sacrifice by many who went before us. There is real value in pausing periodically and practicing gratitude for those we know, and those we don't personally know, for the ways in which they all have helped us to reach this point. This is a time for gratitude.

Second, we can't take this freedom for granted. I was an undergraduate in history and one thing being a student of history teaches us is that change is inevitable. Not everyone has shared the same freedoms as others in the history of our country, and what we have now may not always remain the same. Our freedom has not, and never will be, guaranteed. This is a time for reality.

Finally, freedom is not a static phenomenon. It's dynamic - growing and changing based on our willingness to be active agents in fostering and protecting it, helping to expand it for more and more people who aren't under its full umbrella yet. Its current condition and ongoing expression will only happen as we engage in its ongoing creation. This is a time for participation. 

Here's to being grateful for, being honest about, and engaging with our Freedom this week!

Be Well,

Stephen

Center was created to support individuals and teams so they can live from their Purposeful Center.  We specialize in professional coaching and leadership development and we’d love to support you!  Click on our Services page to book a free consultation.

Say It!

I am currently away for some of that time I was referencing in last week's message, but I still wanted to pop into your inbox for a quick note. Thankfully, with the help of scheduling technology, I can send you this message and still be present wherever I may happen to be in the world when you are reading this (especially since I wrote it before I left)!

On this trip I'm planning to visit some wonderful friends and various members of my extended family. In anticipation of that I have been reminded of a simple, yet powerful rule we've tried to practice in our family - go ahead and Say It! Take the time to tell people what they mean to you, what you appreciate about them, and why they matter to you, and do it now! So often we just hold those things internally and we don't ever express them until it may be too late.

I will be honest and share that the idea to go ahead and Say It was born out of some painful losses that happened way too early with some of our family and friends. Being forced to wrestle with the fact that you no longer have the ability to tell someone directly what they mean to you created a mindfulness about the importance of telling people now, when you have the chance. So we've done our best to just go ahead and Say It as much as we can when we have the opportunity.  

How about you? If you were going to go ahead and Say It to someone in your life, who is the first person that pops into your mind and heart? What would you say to them? When are you going to see them next and what would it take for you to just go ahead and Say It when you do?  I bet you'll be glad you did!

Here's to taking the time to go ahead and Say It this week!

Be Well,

Stephen

Center was created to support individuals and teams so they can live from their Purposeful Center.  We specialize in professional coaching and leadership development and we’d love to support you!  Click on our Services page to book a free consultation.