Make Magic
We just celebrated our first Halloween in the US. When I was a kid, I loved magic. I dressed up as a magician, learnt magic tricks, and fantasized about being a wizard. Moving a wand, and saying a few words to make problems disappear, and dreams come true!
When I encounter a roadblock, I go to my inner child to tap into that spirit. A mindset shift, some reading, and putting pen to paper to find solutions is my go to potion to make magic happen.
What do you do to get unstuck?
Survive and thrive
🌅"It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one more responsive to change." ~ Charles Darwin.
🦉Owls are my favorite animal.
🐭Mice are my son’s.
🦉🐭Predator, and prey have some behaviors in common. Both carefully read their surroundings, waiting for the right moment to act, and doing it swiftly. They get out to eat, and seek for refuge to rest, and recover.
🌅 Balancing between anticipation and action, reflection and response, activity and rest. Beyond the animal kingdom, and for humanity, not only to survive… but to thrive!
⚖️ I’m working on finding more balance between my work and personal life. Both are important aspects of my identity, and contribute to my wellbeing. Getting closer to a more constant state of flow. I've become better at recognizing swings, and quickly putting more weight at the other end to regain focus.
🎓We can all cultivate better ways of acting and thinking that will produce better results. What mindset or behavior are you working to improve? What outcomes are you hoping to impact?
Muse
Who is your muse?
In Ancient Greek mythology, the muses are the inspirational goddesses of literature, science and the arts. In modern figurative usage, a Muse may be a source of artistic inspiration.
Why is it that sometimes we don’t feel inspired and our creativity suffers? There’s no formula or person that has been found to immediately prompt inspiration. What neuroscience proved is that brain plasticity is a fact. Creative thinking involves the discovery of novel connections and is therefore tied intimately to learning. As Arthur Koestler pointed this out rather beautifully several decades ago: “Creative activity is a type of learning process where the teacher and pupil are located in the same individual.”
When we get stuck and inspiration does not come, we might need a break. We could also be in need of creative stimulation. Improving self awareness, we can be more effective at identifying what will work best.
Rest, draw, scribble, journal, read, exercise, play games…Be inspired by the resources, the process, the people and the learning itself. The best muse that we can find lives within ourselves!
Find your flow
Go fast! Or better slow?
🛬My family is visiting from Barcelona and I am showing them around the Bay Area. I quickly realized that after so many years abroad, I have accelerated the pace of doing things.
🌉During this vacation, I exposed them to new food, places and customs. We grabbed take away coffee and a light breakfast and went on hikes. We drove to different sights one after the other and went for a delicious brunch. We also cooked Spanish food, had late lunches and long “sobremesas” (taking the time for deep, meaningful conversation, after dessert). We walked around with no set direction and simply enjoyed each other’s company.
🌳Our roots ground us and allow us to grow. We become wiser when we can adjust to what we learn and honor what we know. When we do it right, we enrich our experiences and the ones from the people around us.
🚦We can’t choose where we are from but we can certainly choose where we are going. Living authentically. Coming up with new concepts and ways of doing that make us whole. Go fast and go slow depending on the occasion: Find your “Flow”!