Dear Clients, Friends, and Newsletter Readers,
In five days, it’s Christmas. Whatever your plans are, I wish you beautiful and festive days, in which you will also find time for relaxation, peace and quiet.
I would like to encourage you to create some space for slowness and contemplation – not just for the holidays, but for 2008 in general. Giving consideration to yourself, to others and nature.
At the end of this Christmas greeting about “Time“, there is a special Christmas present hidden for you – if you react by January 7th.
Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!
Yours,
Annette Reissfelder
Many people today believe one can do many things at the same time – without any loss in quality. Self-help books teach us how to learn languages while brushing our teeth, we read when we cook, phone while driving, and listen to an instructive CD while doing that. Yet being online day in day out, and multitasking is not becoming to anybody in the long-term. If you have children you can find out in no time – from (your) children: children are great at sensing if people are „really there“ - and claim full attention – as long as they believe to have access to it… As one mother recounted an observation of her 4-year old daughter: “She said I was like a machine, the words would fall out, but Mummy wasn’t really there.“
Children can teach us how to be completely self-absorbed in an activity. Many grown-ups have almost lost this skill! You simply can’t play the saxophone and sing at the same time. Both are great activities, but they demand our complete attention, otherwise we just won’t get very far. That is probably true for most things: the more we focus on them, the better we will do them. When we mix things and divide our attention, our actions lose their potency. The quality as such comes with the concentration. If there is something that you like doing with complete focus, hold on to it with both hands and never let anybody take it from you. After all, it‘s your life! Not everybody will take such dramatic action as my cousin, who, after many years as a site engineer with a renowned multinational (“in 14 months in Cologne I never saw the Rhine during daylight“) traded this life for a career as a vocational trainer, and is taken up with his new life completely. He just won a prize for his house, which he redesigned and actively helped to build: not only it is a beautiful project, but it is completely self-sufficient – he now has his own water, produces his own energy, and has a happy family. Today, he can only smile about his priorities back then…
You probably know the story of a zen master being asked how he could be so together, inspite of his many activities. His answer was: “When I stand, I stand, when I walk, I walk, when I sit, I sit, when I eat, I eat, when I speak, I speak…“ His disciples interrupted and said “But we do, too!” to which he responded “No. When you sit, you are already standing. When you stand, you are already walking, when you walk, you are already arriving.”
You may note there is a connection with “Presence“, which is considered by many to be that the critical ingredient that allows managers to be as focused, clear and convincing in one-to-one interaction as when they are speaking to an audience of 200 potential clients. Presence is a quality and attitude, not something you can just “wear for the occasion“. Either you think and act with presence – or you don’t. If presence is not part of your repertoire, chances are you have a hard time convincing others of your words and actions… Of course presence is a habit you can acquire – but chances are you are in for a long and interesting haul before you reach that destination. As always: every journey starts out with a single step. So why not start yours with some Sitting – Standing – Walking practice?
Ready for a little extra something in 2008? You know the feeling – in February, your goals (as in what you would really like to accomplish for yourself) are still quite present, but then by May you realize that, yet again, you simply don’t take the time and energy to focus on your priorities… Yet again, you are panting to reach short-term results and the quarterly profitability report, rather than being creative and visionary… This costs people, who are not satisfied with “just” doing what is expected of them, a lot of energy. (I think I just described my ideal client – almost by accident.
My New Year’s Present for you: I invite you to focus on your goals for about one hour in early 2008 – just book your space by January 7th for our conversation. Please find all the details at www.an-edge-for-you.com/PF2008.html. Do get back to me by the 7th, as this link goes public that day, and any remaining sessions will go very quickly I am sure!
