Be the board- the board on which the whole game is being played. I feel a bit unnerved by this.
Move the problems of the outside world inside yourself. Now I feel annoyed.
By doing this, you can change the world. Now I am incredulous.
I am having a difficult time with this concept. Currently, I feel very trapped by circumstances. I am not sure how to undo this feeling.
As I read on, my annoyance is wavering. I understand the assertion that we are responsible for our own way- the bad vacation, the ruined dinner- all can be changed depending on how we choose to look at the situation and act on it.
I know that I need to be the framework for the things that happen in my life- I have not done a very good job of this. I am guilty of letting things happen to me and then complaining about outcome. I have to take a more active role in my own life. The analogy of the boss not listening to employee is all too real for me. It is so easy to get caught up in feeling sorry for oneself and accepting that you are not being listened to.
So how do we open ourselves up to possibility anyway?
The story about the teacher shaving her head brought tears to my eyes. However, I must admit I am at a bit of a loss. The problem was the girl's and the solution came from the outer world. The girl did not make that happen, the teacher did. Am I misreading this example or I am confusing the practice?
Vision- that I have- what I need to do is cultivate the tools to make it happen.
The WE story- or the concept that any two people are connected by invisible threads- made me think of the butte
rfly effect. The idea that there is a sensitive dependence that connects the world. Can a butterfly's flap of a wing lead to a catastrophe across the globe? I'm not sure. I do know that something that happens to a person can effect their mood and demeanor and how they interact with the next person who's path they cross.
Overall, this book made me take a look at myself that I did not like. I need to reread the book and really put into practice the suggestions the Zanders have shared. This was either the best, or worst time for me to have read this book- which remains to be seen.
Photo provided by Wikimedia Commons.
Cross, M. (2009). The butterfly effect. Retrieved from http://www.crossgroup.caltech.edu/chaos_new/Lorenz.html
"Being the board" can be one of the most difficult concepts to deal with. My initial concern, having worked mostly with women my whole teaching career, is that I recognize that many women take responsibility for too much that goes on around them. The point of the chapter, as you noted, is to take everything around you and "move it" from being things outside your responsibility to moving it to your area of influence. I think it's meant primarily to close the "not my job" loophole and force one to find solutions and not pass things off.
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