Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Living an Extraordinary Life

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Living an Extraordinary Life: I heard a story about a couple who wanted to do something extraordinary with their lives and so they decided to take a kayaking journey...

Living an Extraordinary Life

I heard a story about a couple who wanted to do something extraordinary with their lives and so they decided to take a kayaking journey around the entire perimeter of Lake Superior. According to Wikipedia, Lake Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes of North America. The lake is shared by Canada's Ontario and the United States' Minnesota to the north and west, and Wisconsin and Michigan to the south. It is generally considered the largest freshwater lake in the world.

The idea came to them after they had done some kayaking on the lake. In their excitement they decided to take a 2 month journey around the water’s edge to clear their minds and to bring their full attention to the question, “Am I doing the most I possibly can with my life?”

Lake Superior is not just large, 1,300 miles around; it is also unpredictable, capable of 20-30 foot waves, and high winds. It is one of the coldest lakes on the planet and for most of the year, the water temperature hovers around an uncomfortable 40 degrees.

When I lived on the California coast, I used to take 5 mile walks on the beach to clear my head and to ponder questions and ideas for the books and magazine articles I was working on. Some refer to it as writer’s block, but whatever it was the long walk on the sandy beach, which included carefully navigating over dozens of weather-beaten rock formations, would open the door to my imagination and the next chapter and next idea would suddenly appear. The amazing thing is that the beach walk always worked like magic.

Writer Sam Keen wrote, “Nothing shapes our lives as much as the questions we ask.” He followed this up by clarifying the value of the questions we ask. For example, it is a lot more powerful and helpful to ask a question like, “What do I want to do with my life at this point?” as opposed to, “What do people think about me?”

Kayakers Ann and Paul did not care about what people thought of them taking their long voyage around Lake Superior. They did what they needed to do to clear their minds and to allow an inner door to open to a wiser voice within. Ann said, “It wasn’t until I went around the lake that I discovered the biggest truth; that I want to have the courage to make spirit foremost in everything I do.”

Whether you are currently working at a great job, or are an executive, a physician, a teacher, a chef, an accountant, or a business owner, think about Ann’s realization of the importance of making spirit, passion, enthusiasm, and enjoyment central to everything you do. And since work takes up a big chunk of your day, make an effort to ask yourself often if the work you are doing is the work you really want to do? Am I doing the most I possibly can with my life?

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Getting a Good Job

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Getting a Good Job: I read a new Gallup Poll the other day which showed that 70% of US employees hate their jobs. The poll asked random workers how engaged...

Getting a Good Job

I read a new Gallup Poll the other day which showed that 70% of US employees hate their jobs. The poll asked random workers how engaged or disengaged they were in the workplace and 70% were disengaged strongly indicating that they had low involvement with their job, were not enthusiastic, and were not committed to the work they did or to the company they worked for.

When I was a college student,  I was engrossed with the writings of Psychologist Abraham Maslow who said that to love your work is of utmost importance. He said that it is imperative that the job we accept and the work we do are in alignment with what we value and what we really want to do.

I took Maslow’s writings to heart and I made a point of being very discriminating about the jobs I applied for. If the person interviewing me for a job was not to my liking and I did not have a good feeling about the company, I graciously left the interview and did not accept the job even if it was offered to me.

I remember going on a job interview at a psychiatric facility when I was 23 and being called by the director the next day to hire me for the position of Activities Therapist. I asked her what the starting pay was and when she told me I responded that that was the same pay I was making in my current job. I really wanted the position and I really liked the facility but I was not going to make a big move if she couldn’t offer me more hours and better pay. She told me she would get back to me. The next day she offered me the position with more hours and higher pay. Within a month, she unexpectedly left her director’s position there and I was given the task of keeping the entire program going until the medical director found her replacement. Since I loved working there so much I decided to apply for the open position myself and somehow miraculously was hired as the new Program Director for a very well respected 80 bed psychiatric institute.

Psychologist Shawn Achor wrote, “If you get a good job you will want to get a better job. By raising your positivity in the present, your brain can experience the ‘happiness advantage.’ This means your brain is finely attuned to positivity rather than negativity.”

Enthusiasm has amazing power to effect change and influence people. It is the quality that separates people who are simply doing their job from those who bring creativity, passion and excitement into the workplace. If a job allows you to use your talents and strengths and you feel good about getting up in the morning and going to work, then it is the right place to be. If the opposite occurs, namely that you wish you could stay in bed for a few hours longer and you have to drag your comb across your hair and drag your feet out the door, then like the 70% in the Gallop Poll, think about making a change. You owe it to yourself.

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Following Your Own Heart

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Following Your Own Heart: Sometimes it feels like we are walking in glue. I am not talking about mobility issues; rather I am talking about an emotional heavines...

Following Your Own Heart

Sometimes it feels like we are walking in glue. I am not talking about mobility issues; rather I am talking about an emotional heaviness and uncertainty that comes upon us from time to time. When we feel stuck we are, most likely, identifying with limitations, with what we don't have or what we think we are lacking. We get stuck in a variety of ways:  in resentful feelings and hurtful feelings; in thoughts and beliefs that make us sad and feel bad; in old worn-out attitudes; we get stuck in fear. 

Life has its own agenda despite whatever we think, believe or plan for. Sometimes the perceived 'tragedy' is the pathway to spiritual evolution and transformation. The misfortune, the accident, the divorce, the unexpected move, the loss, the separation, the illness, and the sudden change in circumstances can all be motivating factors that open the door to something marvelously new that we never considered before. Life’s lessons aren't always easy. Sometimes we wonder, "Why is this happening to me? Is there anybody up there?"       

Psychiatrist C.G. Jung wrote, “Your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart…. Who looks outside, dreams; who looks within, awakes.”

I remember reading a wonderful story about a father who bought his son a white horse and all the neighbors marveled at its beauty. They told the father how lucky the young lad was to own such a regal animal. One day when the boy was riding he fell off and broke his leg. It was a very serious break and the boy was bedridden for many months. The neighbors told the father it was a tragedy that he broke his leg. If the boy hadn't owned the horse, they said, the accident would never have happened. Then, a war broke out and all the able-bodied young men were summoned to fight. Now the neighbors told the injured boy's father what good fortune it was that his son broke his leg, since he would be spared going to war and potentially being killed. Following the boy's recovery his horse ran away and the boy became very sad. The neighbors told the father what a tragedy it was that the horse the young man loved so dearly ran away. All through these months the father taught his son to never regard these changes as being tragic but to view them as the way of life. He taught his son to always know in his heart that everything would work out for the best and to fully believe in the sacredness and bounty of life. And one day the white horse returned but not alone. A dozen majestic horses had joined her and now the boy had more amazing horses than he ever dreamed of before. And the neighbors rejoiced once again.

When you feel stuck or you feel like you’ve been knocked down for the count, look into your heart and let it speak to you. Apple founder, Steve Jobs wrote, “Don't live someone else's life. Don't be trapped with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart.”