In this issue:
Business and Zen: The Practice of Entering New Territory
Zen in Business Workshop at Hollyhock: May 7 - 11
Good Reading
Bringing Our Work and Our Lives Alive
Routines That Mint Gold
Z.B.A. Zen of Business Administration
Business and Zen: The Practice of Entering New Territory
No one knows what will happen next, in our lives or in our businesses. We project a certain outcome; we plan and strategize, as is a good and important practice. We form views and habits and patterns based on past experiences and outcomes. At the same time we know that the environment is changing, our businesses are changing, and we are changing. How can we use the information from the past, and simultaneously be open to meeting what we don't know, especially when it doesn't quite fit into what is known or comfortable?
I took an improv class recently with Keith Johnstone, who many consider to be one of the "fathers" of modern improv. One of the things he demonstrated was that if you tell improvisers to create a scene where they are on a trip, very soon something will go wrong - someone will hurt themselves, or they will get lost - something will stop them from moving forward. "People will do anything to not have to enter new territory," exclaimed Johnstone. Humans have a strong need to keep our lives safe and predictable, even at the expense of opening to new and wanted possibilities. Our fears and limitations can feel safe and comfortable. Stepping outside what is familiar can bring up our fears and take us outside of our usual descriptions and stories. We yearn for what is new and unpredictable, and we cling to what is safe.
This sounds a lot to me like Zen practice, and business practice - the art of moving toward and becoming comfortable with entering new territory. In business this is called planning and strategy, creativity and innovation, responding to the changing needs of our customers and the changes in technology. Seeing needs and problems from a fresh perspective is a key component of forming or growing a business. In Zen practice this is "beginner's mind" - entering each situation with a freshness, openness, and curiosity - developing a mind that is responsive and flexible. What could be more essential for our lives, and our businesses?
There are many ways to experiment with and become more comfortable with moving into new territory:
- take a trip to a place you've never been or visit a culture you have not experienced
- listen to music that is completely new for you
- eat at a restaurant from a culture that you have not experienced
- listen to someone while keeping your heart and mind open
- write a business plan, thinking about what's possible, in a way that you haven't thought of before;
- let yourself see qualities in you and in those around you that are outside of your current range of expectations or language.
Sending my wishes for a healthy, nurturing, and successful year.
Marc Lesser
Zen In Business Workshop at Hollyhock: May 7 - 11
You are invited to join me in this workshop on gorgeous Cortes Island in British Columbia. We will explore the ways that Zen practice and business practice can be integrated in our lives - practices of generosity, appreciation, and leadership - combining meditation, instruction in Zen and business, small group discussions, and interactive experiences. And, experience the beauty of British Columbia's wilderness coast - hiking, kayaking, cozy accommodations, and gourmet vegetarian meals. For more information call 800 933-6339, or www.hollyhock.ca.
Good Reading
Ruling Your World: Ancient Strategies For Modern Life, by Sakyon Mipham - The first sentence in the introduction is: "Bringing heaven down to earth, into our daily life, is how we rule our world." Sakyon Mipham is the son of Choyam Trungpa, renowned teacher and author of Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism and many other books.
The Art of Possibility, by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander. A therapist and conductor team up as great story tellers - lots of ideas for moving beyond what is known and comfortable. Chapters include: It's All Invented, Being a Contribution, and Creating Frameworks for Possibility.
The Subject Tonight is Love; Sixty Wild and Sweet Poems. by Hafiz, translated by Daniel Ladinsky. Hafiz is a 14th century Persian poet. These are wonderful, wild, sweet, and fun poems.
Bringing Our Work and Lives Alive
Anything or anyone
That does not bring you alive
Is too small for you
This is a line from a poem by David Whyte. In addition to his poetry, David writes extensively about bringing our full selves to our work (The Heart Aroused, and Crossing the Unknown Sea). This line is a reminder that we each have the possibility to bring our work and our lives alive. Our work can be an adventure, a calling, a place to offer service, as well as a place to stretch our emotional and spiritual lives. We can make our work into something mundane, tedious, and small, or we can bring ourselves and our work alive.
Routines That Mint Gold.
Someone once asked the Dalai Lama to describe the essence of living a healthy, awake life, in one word. He thought for a moment and replied, "Routines."
There is a line from a poem by Hafiz in which he says something like, our lives are filled with routines; why not create routines that will mint us gold.
Identify and make a list of the routines in your life. Which ones do you want to keep, and what would you like to change. What routines would you like to put into your life?
Possible routines include:
- a daily meditation practice
- acknowledging our customers on a regular basis
- the practice of expressing appreciation
- the practice of doing something new on a regular basis
- the practice of speaking our truth, even when this feels risky
Z.B.A. Zen of Business Administration: How Zen Practice Can Transform Your Work and Your Life
This book, released in February 2005 by New World Library, is available at your local bookstore or on Amazon. "I love this book. It is profoundly simple. It is understandable and accessible - a profound way to integrate life and work." - Eileen Fisher, president of Eileen Fisher, Inc.
Coaching, Consulting, and Facilitation - To learn more about the services offered by ZBA Associates call me at 415 389-6228; email is mlesser@zbaassociates.com.