"God, Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can and the Wisdom to know the difference."

~Reinhold Niebuhr

I struggled with what to use as the topic for this month's newsletter. I just kept thinking and thinking and thinking and nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch.

Then I took a deep breath, leaned back in my chair, closed my eyes and just breathed. Deep…long…full breaths. The idea came to me. Serenity. That ever elusive, but wonderful, glorious feeling of serenity.

The typical definition of serene is calm, peaceful, and tranquil, like a serene sea, or a serene old age. Really, that’s in the dictionary, like you need to wait until old age to be serene.

There’s another definition which is more poetic and that is “a clear or tranquil expanse of sky, sea, etc.” I like that definition. I like to feel expansive. I like to think that way. It is the way I just felt when I leaned back and let go of the struggle to come up with a topic.

So, why bother?

Part of being serene for me is being able to have the time to look inward. I became a coach six years ago because the training I took to be certified gave me time and taught me how to look inward. I had been in business for a very long time and business is focused primarily outward. Outward to the measurements, outward to your team, outward to your co-workers and boss, outward to be seen and network for the business, outward to be trained. Outward. Never time to actually look inward.

When I finally took the deep breath and started to look inward I noticed I slowed down. I spent more time just ‘being’. You know, we are human ‘beings’, not human ‘doings’.

I asked myself “What had I been running so fast toward?” Even more important, “What had I been running so fast away from?”

Ouch.

That question hurt.

When I was able to be honest with myself, and thanks to the guidance of some master coaches and mentors, I knew instinctively that I was running fast and furiously away from myself. I needed to spend a significant amount of time proving. Proving what didn’t matter, but always accomplishing to prove something to anyone.

Serene? Not at that time. Serene, yes I am more so now.

Serene can show up in many places and has been shown to have many health benefits when we stop and take time out through something like meditation. There is a landmark study (click to see full article) that shows that meditation (taking time out) “showed dramatic increases in blood flow to the posterior cingulate gyrus, the region of the brain associated with learning and memory. It is the first region of the brain to decline in individuals diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, which helps to explain why the blood flow-producing meditation has such a profound impact on cognitive functioning.”

That’s enough to convince me to slow down, lean back, close my eyes, and take some deep breaths.

Serene...You bet I am!

"When the crowded refugee boats met with storms or pirates, if everyone panicked, all would be lost. But if even one person remained calm and centered, it was enough. They showed the way for everyone to survive."

~ Thich Nhat Hanh

Be that one person.

Step into leading and play a Bigger Game in your life...don't wait...model leadership...the World needs us to do this.

Lead Strong!

Pat

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Poems Serenity

By Sri Chinmoy

When the serenity of the mind and the purity of the heart work together, nothing can stand against their immediate success.

~

Do you want happiness?
Then ask your mind to love sincerity.
Do you want happiness?
Then ask your mind to love simplicity.
Do you want happiness?
Then ask your mind to love serenity.
Do you want happiness? Then ask your mind to love purity.

~

Every day I pray to God
To turn my mind into a serenity-flower,
My heart into a purity-flower
And my life into a simplicity-flower.

~

Happiness means
The serenity Of the mind.

~

Where is Heaven,
If not in the serenity of the mind,
Purity of the heart
And simplicity of the life?

Inviting all Visionaries to an exciting day:

You make your VISION Statement Movie to get clear on who you are and what you want - to transform your fantasy into a clear and bold Vision. It creates a powerful vision for your subconscious mind to engage with - the first brave commitment to your achieving that dream.

Come and learn how to create your own VISION Statement Movie. In this workshop you will spend time creating your vision statement poem and then get into action to create your VISION Statement Movie.

All you need is your vision and a PC or MAC with WiFi. Here are the upcoming dates:

Thursday, April 24 and Sunday, April 27.
Thursday, May 15 and Sunday, May 18.
Thursday, June 19 and Sunday, June 22.

See Pat's 2008 Vision Statement Movie: http://www.visionstatement.org.au/pato.html

See more: http://www.therocketship.org
Register: http://www.therocketship.org/options.html

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• The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
  
  
• Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath
  
  
• Think Positive Thoughts Every Day: Poems to Inspire a Brighter Outlook on Life by Patricia Wayant

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• The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch (You Tube) - Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch, who is dying from pancreatic cancer, gave his last lecture at the university Sept. 18, 2007, before a packed McConomy Auditorium. In his moving talk, "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams," Pausch talked about his lessons learned and gave advice to students on how to achieve their own career and personal goals. For more, visit www.cmu.edu/randyslecture.


• "Journeys" are special University Lectures in which Carnegie Mellon faculty members share their reflections on their journeys -- the everyday actions, decisions, challenges and joys that make a life.


• Financial Times Article (really!) on the value of having a positive vision.

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