Thoughts & Art

Speak Up

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Reformation Speak Up

Imagine you’re a car mechanic and have to perform a maintenance to a car.

While working on it, you’ll notice the timing belt is worn (The timing belt is an important part of the engine that makes sure the combustion is right. Replacing it is expensive, but when it brakes during driving it is really bad for the engine and will cost a lot more), but you don’t tell the client.

Get the picture?

My message here is simple, when something’s on your mind, tell it. You can think about how or when you wanna tell it, but say it.

It is on your mind anyhow, so it will influence your behaviour, consciously or unconsciously. Besides, you’ll be surprised how one might react. Anyway, it will change reality, but you’re in control.

The power of words.

Words
The world is full of them
And sometimes I wonder
how all the words in the world
ever spoken would look like
if all
where
flowers.
The flower of words

‘Speak Up’ is part of the Reformation series.
 Reformation is embracing new knowledge and insights in order to rewire existing patterns in the brain and ones natural behavior. Reformation is phase One and internal. Phase Two is Transformation the external result.

The Balance of Un-balance

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Balance

The dark side of ‘Balance’ is you become lazy. Things go right, so why worry.

The risk is, that when there’s a sudden change, you’re not prepared at all. That isn’t a problem of course, a sudden change is an opportunity as well. The real problem is, that because of this laziness you’re not quick enough to move and see the opportunity, let alone to seize it.

That’s why I’m preaching the Balance of the Un-balance, in other words, not becoming lazy. It is about ‘staying alert’ let’s say it’s being on the positive side of ‘What if’ scenario’s.

The good thing of embracing un-balance is that you train some kind of muscle.

I had to think about my 12 month old son who just started to walk. Looking at his cute little feet, there are 2 things I notice:

1. The wobbling of his feet when he’s standing still. It is really great to look at and amazing the boy can suddenly walk!
2. His feet are flat, they don’t have the ‘arc’ adults have and it is exactly what the wobbling is doing. Training the muscle that creates the arc and ultimately Balance.

That is what Balance the Un-balance is, the wobbling, training the muscle for the arc. In this case it is training eyes and mind to be alert for changes and opportunities. It is also training the Serendipity Muscle: Finding what your not looking for.

Leave your hat on

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From the REFORMATION series
Reformation Hat On

Everything is constantly changing. What is today, won’t be the same tomorrow, whether you want it or won’t.

Even if you worked hard to get somewhere or realized something, at the same time other things change (or will change or have changed without you noticing it).

This definitely doesn’t mean you shouldn’t enjoy the moment, on the contrary, enjoy as hard as you can and embrace all new things that come on your path.

I always say that achievements of today are a springboard for tomorrow. Those can be positive and negative. Both are energy and necessary to create momenta.

The thing is, we as humans, in general don’t like change and when things change, we feel frightened by what might come next.

But remember this, in stagnant water, it is easier for nasty bacteria to flourish, in vibrant flowing water they won’t. Flowing water is energy transports nutrition, creates airy bubbles and sounds great.

Be that vibrant river, don’t sit down to long, leave your hat on.

‘Leave your hat on’ is part of the Reformation series.
 Reformation is embracing new knowledge and insights in order to rewire existing patterns in the brain and ones natural behavior. Reformation is phase One and internal. Phase Two is Transformation the external result.

Holywood – Superstition

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Holywood

It is good to be superstitious. Why not?

It helps creating a (new) reality and that’s always good. Take a look at the movie “What the Bleep do we know”. I believe it is an incredibly interesting movie about Quantum Physics and how that influences everyone’s life’s. For me that movie was the start of a new way of thinking.

Anyway, superstition.
It is good to have rituals, special ways of thinking or tokens and make sure to believe in them. Even if they’re not giving the outcome you expected of wished for.

Probably there’s a reason it did not happen, because one thing that did not happen, will create the opportunity for another exciting event to pop into existence and that might lead to something really unexpected.

Unexpected. That is the scary part, but imagine this, if everything happened as you planned for, everything will stay the same, unless you’re incredible creative, and even then.

So hold on to (or start) your superstition, your rituals, your special ways of thinking! Open your mind and stay on the path to Holywood!

Holywood – The Path

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Holywood3

Everybody has a Holy-wood.
Holywood is good.

Holywood is that great place where we all want to be. Everybody has his own Holywood and it’s hard to describe. I call it paradise on earth.

Me, I can’t picture it, it’s hard to grab, but I am on that path. That I know and feel. And when I look around me, I’m very close to my Holywood, I think…

Thinking back, somewhere in me, there was always that feeling things will change. There’s something going to happen. Not that I was unhappy, on the contrary, I just felt things would even better. And to be honest, they did. Constantly.

In that sense Holywood could be a destination we never reach. I think that’s OK as long as we’re on the path leading to Holywood. That is good. The path gives us energy.

A good thing to know is that you shouldn’t turn around, or walk back on the path. That is a waste of energy and will not bring what you might expect.

Move forward; turn negative into positive and when required, the path will catch up on you. You will have the opportunity to make things right. The path will wind, it is never a straight line; that would be boring.

Open your mind, think constructive and be creative.

Wallhalla

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Turning switches
Walhalla

One time I gave a creativity workshop and made an amazing discovery. The biggest question people had was: What is the objective of the workshop?

I was surprised, becoming more creative of course! I said, but it kept bugging my mind. Even more so, because a number of people said they weren’t creative and couldn’t write a story or so. It took me a while, but finally I understood the question.

So when I gave part two of the creativity workshop I let the people work without any introduction from me. The first thing they had to do was create their own creativity exercise. I was impressed by the creativeness of the outcome!

Next they had to do the top 4 of these ideas and again, I was impressed by the outcome and the laughs we had and the proudness of the students.

Afterwards, I gave a short presentation.

The first thing I told was that everybody already was creative. It is something I cannot teach, only make people aware of it or train them by doing small creative exercises.

The second thing I told them was that the objective of the workshop was not to become more creative, but to turn the creativity switch on and then break it. Leave the creativity switch on.

The third thing I said, was over coming the fear of being creative and that the best idea is not the first, but the fifth or the tenth. Being creative, is about accepting and not being afraid of bad ideas. But it is also the fear of other people for new ideas. It’s the responsibility of the ‘creative’ to ‘unfear’ them.

The last thing I told explained them is serendipity. Finding what you’re not looking for needs an open and creative mind. The finds you can do are amazing.

From doing creative to being creative.

The funny thing is that after the first session a lot of people told me they were constantly being creative in everything they saw. They couldn’t stop, looking for creative uses or interpretations in everything that saw. Traffic lights, signs, doors, things, anything.

It has a bigger meaning. By turning on and off switches, you change your future. Changing, not actually creating it, but every switch turned creates a different outcome. The way I see it is like sculpting clay.

For example, by turning the creativity switch on, it is hard to choose the obvious anymore, so your choices will change as well. By turning the ‘I am a winner’ switch on you’ll mould your future. Or turn negative into positive; old habits into new habits. Same for the ‘yes!-I-will-move-to-somewhere-else-switch’.

Turning switches makes that different things will appear on your path and you can’t do anything but make different choices, sculpting the future. You don’t know what’s coming, but it is different.

Turning switches is avoiding walls, creating new ways of finding out what’s behind them, hence Wallhalla,
The Paradise beyond the Wall.

Shifting Style

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From the REFORMATION series

The funny thing is, that despite of the ambitions or situations we’re in, we keep doing the same thing and expect a different outcome.

Well, this is never the case.

Maybe it is a hard conclusion, but it is the truth. Those are not only my words, basically it’s what Darwin said a long time ago:
Evolve or die.

And evolution is adapting to the environment.
Or situation.

And he proved right, ask the dinsaurs. Besides, it is a very good thing. It is absolutely fabulous to be in that situation and have the ability to evolve. Imagine, just new and better things lying ahead.  There’s two things we need to do:

  1. Overcome the fear
  2. Break the routine

In that order….

A good way to start is, make it visual. Change that look in the mirror. It is the easiest way to start a change and evolve. Change your look, change your clothes or just buy those great pair of shoes or boots you always wanted, but were a bit extraordinary.

Do it.

Start.

And don’t be afraid to look in the mirror and be proud of yourself. Along the way, be very much aware of the situation you’re in and where you want to go. If you don’t know where to go, just focus on that positive feeling of happiness in general. The world will fold around you.

Remember, the difference between evolution and revolution is time.
How fast do you want to go?

Happy shifting.

Shifting Style is part of the Reformation series.
Reformation is embracing new knowledge and insights in order to rewire existing patterns in the brain and ones natural behavior. Reformation is phase One and internal. Phase Two is Transformation the external result.

Shifting Speed

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From the REFORMATION series

The story of Toomee.

Toomee is 1 person and 2 manifestations. One is Fastmee and he’s walking fast. The other is Slowmee, trying to catch up.

Fastmee is pre-occupied chasing ambitions, missing out on life. Ambitions of a bigger house, better things, a bigger job and more stuff and more stuff.

Slowmee on the other hand, is enjoying live, the moment and everything along the way. His child within is fully alive. He has no worries and finds living in the moment the highest goal of life. But, he’s frustrated because together, Fastmee and Slowmee, they’re on an inseparable journey.
He needs to catch up with Fastmee.

Suddenly Slowmee realizes he’s missing out on all the good stuff and the fact that he only knows the back of Fastmee, which is pretty boring.

In that inspiring moment he has the best idea ever. He shouts at Fastmee to slow down.

Fastmee turns his head and looks back at Slowmee. For the first time in their lives, they see each other. It is a magic moment. At that instant they decide to continue their journey side by side, helping each other to speed up when necessary or slow down when needed. Always with big smiles on their faces.

The advantage of speed a.k.a. fast life, is that you get faster to a destination. So it seems, but what if you don’t know the destination? And let’s face it, none of does.

One of the problems with too much speed, is that you don’t get to see the beautiful view a long the way. And as a result you will miss out on some of the greatest inspiration, that would have changed the outcome of your journey.

Another problem with too much speed – trying to live like an ‘adult’ – is that it’s easy to forget your childhood dreams. Can you remember them?

I am not saying it always has to be slow – but hey! – life goes fast enough as it is, so enjoy the moment.

Happy shifting

Shifting Speed is part of the Reformation series.
Reformation is embracing new knowledge and insights in order to rewire existing patterns in the brain and ones natural behavior. Reformation is phase One and internal. Phase Two is Transformation the external result.

Shifting Moods

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From the REFORMATION series

It is odd but there are times I am not feeling me. It’s like I am a different person and most of all, a person I don’t like.

It feels like a person with glue on its shoes and it is hard to go forward. Or the feeling of walking through mud, while the mud is sucking on your soles and walking is a drag.

Well, you get my point and those are really the moments I don’t like myself! The ‘funny’ thing is, it takes a while to fully realize it is happening, that I am that dreadful person and when I realize it, it is hard to shift moods.

So I started analysing it and came to the conclusion that it is something or someone that is in me and has the tendency to appear when I’m tired, worried, stressed, and so forth, moments of lower resistance, where this ugly me has the power to manifest.

I have two rituals, starting with becoming aware of the ugly me.

One is sleeping well. Not too long, but enough, like 7 hours. Wake up, think about what’s bugging you and think of all the positive things you have, take a conscious shower and let the heat chase the ugly me away.

The other is a literal shift of mood. Wake up the good ‘you’, think of the ridicule of your behaviour and laugh out loud about it. Just laugh the ugly you away.

Laughing is the best cure I know. I believe it’s not because you’re happy that you’re laughing, I believe it’s because you’re laughing you become happy. Think about that for a while.

Laugh happy;
happy shifting.

Shifting Moods is part of the Reformation series.
Reformation is embracing new knowledge and insights in order to rewire existing patterns in the brain and ones natural behavior. Reformation is phase One and internal. Phase Two is Transformation the external result

Shifting Gears

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From the REFORMATION Series

Do you recognize that feeling, when you’re in the car with somebody and they’re not shifting up gears?
That sound of an engine making too much revs?

Well sometimes I feel the same thing in my body. I don’t know exactly how that goes. Too preoccupied maybe, or stressed? But what I do know it is taking a lot if energy. It is an undefined feeling when I think about it and I don’t like it.

Fortunately, most of the times I’m realizing it and am I able to shift up a gear or even go into overdrive, saving energy and less noise. But it made me wonder. How does it happen and how often are we not aware of it.

The reverse is also true, forgetting to shift down. We stay in a higher gear, but we really are driving very slow. The problem is that when kick the throttle, to speed up again, the engine stutters and there’s the risk of shutting down.

The idea made me realize that it’s good to choose the right gear in everything you do, by being consciously be aware . Sometimes it’s just not worth using to much energy, when you’re stuck in a low gear and trying to go fast. Be aware and shift up.

Or otherwise set in a high gear when there’s no need, just go in overdrive, safe energy or shift down, drive slow, but be able to pick up speed, without the engine shutting down, just be aware, you control the gear shift.

Happy shifting.

Shifting Gears is part of the Reformation series.
Reformation is embracing new knowledge and insights in order to rewire existing patterns in the brain and ones natural behavior. Reformation is phase One and internal. Phase Two is Transformation the external result.