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When The Madness Stopped

by Walt | Apr 18, 2024 | Journeys | 0 Comments

The horrific conflict in the Middle East. Russia. Ukraine. Iran. Climate crisis. Reproductive rights. Racism. Economic strife. Cultural unrest. Political rancor.

Nonstop doom.

Except. For a moment last week. A very brief moment.

It stopped. Across a large swath of the United States, it stopped.

The awe and wonder of the total eclipse of the sun.

In the stillness of the eclipse, the usual cacophony of societal noise—traffic, chatter, the omnipresent buzz of the digital—was overtaken by a collective silence. It was as if the earth itself had inhaled and held its breath, uniting everyone in a spell of tranquility. This pause was not just a break from the sun’s rays but from the relentless divisions that often define our days.

A reminder of our shared home. A reminder that we are all passengers on the same planetary spaceship, dependent on the same air, the same water, and the same fragile sphere.

Despite it all; despite the vast diversity of cultures, languages, and beliefs, there exists a fundamental human instinct to connect, to understand, and to appreciate the mystery and beauty of the universe. The eclipse was a natural magnet that pulled us from our individual orbits into a sacred, shared experience.

The challenge, of course, lies in harnessing that brief unity that we felt into sustained action. If we can stand together and look up in wonder, can we not also face our global challenges with the same solidarity?

Imagine what could be possible if the spirit of the eclipse could inform our everyday interactions. This isn’t about erasing our differences but about emphasizing our commonalities—the dreams, hopes, and fears that we all share. It’s about recognizing that, like the sun and the moon, we too can align in ways that are both beautiful and transformative.

Perhaps we take inspiration from the sky and remember that beneath the temporary shadows, we humans have the potential to find enduring light. Let’s not wait for the next eclipse to find reasons to come together. Every day offers us opportunities to bridge gaps, build understanding, and foster unity. It is crucial, now more than ever, that we lean into this potential, seeing not just with our eyes but with our hearts and minds. Together, under one sky, there’s no limit to what we can achieve.

Peace to you.

Taking The Easy Way

by Walt | Apr 11, 2024 | Success | 0 Comments

I was out on the rock face at about 11,000′ enjoying the view. The climbing was fairly straightforward, and flowed easily, even though I didn’t know the way.

My climbing partner was 100 yards below me and to my left in a narrow cleft. He was trying a different approach and it wasn’t going well. I could hear him grunt… and swear from time to time. And occasionally I’d hear the scatter of rockfall.

After nearly 45 minutes of struggle, my partner emerged below me, conceding at last that the route that I was on was the right one.

I’ve thought of this scene countless times over the years. Usually, when we’re trying too hard – whether in the mountains or in life – we’re off route.

The right way is not always without difficulty. But there is a natural flow and unfolding when we’re on the path we should be on.

“We are rather like whirlpools in the river of life,” writes Charlotte Joko Beck. “In flowing forward, a river or stream may hit rocks, branches, or irregularities in the ground, causing whirlpools to spring up spontaneously here and there. water entering one whirlpool quickly passes through and rejoins the river, eventually joining another whirlpool and moving on. Though for short periods it seems to be distinguishable as a separate event, the water in the whirlpools is just the river itself.”

Suffering, Joko Beck suggests, arises when we pretend that we are not the river; or when we wall off and dam up our own small eddies.

I think suffering arises when we paddle upstream.

Years ago, I took my boys to Disney’s Blizzard Beach. Encircling the outside of the park is a “ride,” a gently flowing river. You sit in an inner tube – and float along.

I’m not very good at Blizzard Beach. I get antsy. I want to paddle. Maybe even change direction. If there were Blizzard Beach police, I might go to jail.

Many of us like to pretend we’re in control. That we own the river. That through cleverness and craft, we can navigate and forge the way. Maybe even force the way.

But constant paddling saps the spirit and tires the soul.

Dan Millman writes, “Surrender involves getting out of our own way and living in accord with a higher will, expressed as the wisdom of the heart.”

What if we didn’t have to struggle?

What if we could trust the river, surrendering to the Great Flow of our lives?

What if the easy way was The Way?

Doom Porn

by Walt | Apr 4, 2024 | Success | 0 Comments

Doom.

All. The. Time.

Everywhere it seems.

From the talking heads; non-stop newsfeeds; streams of social media.

Incessant spewing about the roiling of the markets, climate change, gun violence, racism, antisemitism, political upheaval. It can be overwhelming to be constantly bombarded with negative news. This incessant stoking of fear and anxiety not only impacts emotional well-being but can degrade your physical health too.

It’s come to be called Doom Porn. Because the constant consumption of this news and information about the negative and dire state of the world has an addictive quality for many.

One of the main negative effects of doom porn is that it can cause folks to feel helpless and powerless. There becomes this pervasive sense that there‘s nothing you can do to change the state of the world and that your individual actions don’t matter. It’s easy to end up feeling depressed and hopeless.

I can help you with this porn problem.

Awe.

Experience awe.

Awe is the feeling of being in the presence of something vast and grand that transcends your everyday understanding. In nature, art, music, and in the grand forms of human achievement.

Experiencing moments of awe can have a profound impact on your emotional well-being. For sure, it can make you feel small in the grand scheme of things, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But it can also allow you to feel connected to something greater than yourself. This feeling of connection can give you a sense of purpose and meaning in life.

Experiencing moments of awe can also boost your physical health. Studies have shown that it can lower stress levels, improve immune function, and even lead to a longer lifespan.

In a world that’s filled with so much negativity, it’s necessary to take a step back and appreciate the beauty and wonder that is everywhere. By experiencing moments of awe, as a practice, you’ll counteract the negative effects of doom porn and find hope and inspiration in the world again.

So, next time you’re feeling overwhelmed by the negative news, take a moment to step outside and look at the stars or take a walk in nature. Listen to some uplifting music or read a book that inspires you. Find something that fills you with awe and let it remind you of the beauty and wonder of this magnificent world.

Awe is the antidote for doom.

Stay in awe.

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Want to create work that brings you joy (and awe) every day? I can help. Email me: walt@summit-success.com

Listen To That Nagging

by Walt | Mar 28, 2024 | Success | 0 Comments

You’re not imagining it.

You’re not fabricating it.

It’s real.

That yearning.

That sense that there’s more.

More than you’re meant for.

More than you’re supposed to do.

More.

The more that will fulfill those deepest longings of your heart.

You’re not exactly sure what it is.

Yet.

It calls you.

Nags you even.

In the quiet of the day; in the darkness of the night.

It’s there.

Whispering.

You want the nagging to go away; you tell it to go away.

Because.

You’re successful.

You have everything.

You’ve made it.

You have more than enough.

You should be satisfied.

Grateful even.

And you are grateful.

But that voice.

Calling you.

To create anew. To begin again.

It won’t go away.

It will never go away.

Because it’s the Creator Spirit within you.

Listen.

Listen to those longings of your heart.

Listen and begin.

The Bears Are Up

by Walt | Mar 21, 2024 | Success | 3 Comments

Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert. — Isaiah 43:19

The bears are waking up. That is what the local newspaper said.

I’m guessing that’s true. Spring has arrived here in the northern hemisphere.

Winter was a great season for us. But, for many, winter means hardship. Storms and brutal cold; grey skies, short days and long, dark nights; shoveling snow, icy roads, and heating bills that seem to never end.

Things tend to lay dormant in the winter. Many in the animal kingdom – like bears – hide out and hibernate.

In the people kingdom too.

Then the spring comes. New life, new energy, new hope. A reprieve; a new beginning.

And so it is in all our lives.

What we do in the springtime of our lives matters. How we till the soil; what we plant; where we plant it; how much we care.

What we build; how we build it.

The summer will surely come. And then the harvest time. It always does.

What we reap at harvest time will depend on these very moments in our lives: What we sow in the here and now will dictate the seasons yet to come.

In our businesses and careers;
In our networks and relationships;
In our marriages, partnerships, and families;
In our health and fitness;
In our financial lives;
In the service of others.

It’s easy to be complacent in the spring, what with the weight of winter finally lifted off. But spring is a time for focus; the time to re-charge, to re-double our efforts. The seeds that we plant, the investments that we make, the care and the attention that we bring to the spring in our lives will yield a thousandfold in the soft glow of our autumn time.

Of course, the seasons of our lives don’t always correspond with Mother Nature. I surely have experienced some desperate winters in the midst of spring; and brutal heat that killed the seeds long after harvest time had come.

But the spring of the year is a good time to remind ourselves of the never-ending rhythm of things; that even in the darkest of nights, the light will return. And that when it does, we have an opportunity to begin again; to create anew; to make our lives the masterpieces they’ve always been meant to be.

Jim Rohn said, “You cannot change the seasons; but you can change yourself.”

In every moment – in every spring – we get to choose.

Wherever you are, whatever the season for you, let’s begin again.