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Getting It Together
Posted by Joseph Riggio on Friday, August 25, 2006Putting together the essentials makes all the difference ... especially when you get to the core idea ... “KEEPING IT SIMPLE”.
Hello Again,
I'm getting back to a morning routine ... at least for today. It makes perfect sense to me to experience an ebb and flow in things. If you go back just a few days to in my posting Time To Decide ... I wrote about Irving Dardik, M.D. from his book "Making Waves - Irving Darkik and His Superwave Principal" ... and you'll see I'm talking about just that - experiencing the ebb and flow.
I find it interesting in regard to the ebb and flow, that most folks I meet are working very hard to stay in "the Flow" permanently - and life just ain't that way! Anyone who knows anything about living things knows that life expands and contracts ... ebbs and flows.
I was reading earlier this morning about the passing of Maynard Ferguson, the great jazz trumpeter. I remember listening to him as a teenager and young adult fan (many, many years ago it seems). He was renowned for his ability to hit double high C notes - repeatedly and with precision. This alone would accord him a spot among the great trumpeters of all time. Yet his style was what caught me every time - the only recording of his most folks will be familiar with at all would probably be, "Gonna Fly Now" from the movie "Rocky" with Sylvester Stallone.
If you listen to his recordings you'll here the ebb and flow ... the movement of sound (some might call it a barrage of sound). And, as you listen to his recordings you might consider that here was a world-class musician who never really "made it" if you consider "making it" to mean world class fame and tons of money. Oh sure he did really well for himself, but he lived in a small niche that was largely outside of the mainstream view. However the most telling statement in his bio/obiturary that I was reading for was this one:
""My instrument is a thing of pleasure, and I play it only because I enjoy it," he once said. "The most important thing is doing what feels right for me."
- Copyright 2006 The Associated Press.
When you observe the life of outstanding individuals who are following their dream you'll often find a portrait of the ebb and flow of life. The ride they are on can seldom be described by a straight trajectory, more often the movement follows a series of sweeping waves ... where every peak matches an equally deep trough. Yet I'd guess, even these folks would prefer living in "the Flow" - maybe especially when they are in the trough.
This probably sounds familiar ... I haven't met anyone who hasn't been "in the trough" at one point or another in their lives. However, I have met folks who thoroughly get that, moving through the trough has as much value as riding the peaks.
The great "trick" has to do with where you are standing in relation to your experience ... regardless of whether you are moving through the trough or riding the peak.
Yesterday I wrote ... Keep It As Simple As Possible about this "trick." I'll say it again as simply as possible: Moving from "What's Not Working" to "What's Working". From my point of view, what I'm referring to begins with a shifting of position - allowing you to experience either location ... at the bottom of the trough or the top of the peak as equal.
There are just locations on the overall journey ... and you can't do the journey without experiencing the whole'thang. I begin my work with many of my clients when they are experiencing the trough. This has been referred to as the "presenting problem" - a phrase left over from the days of psychotherapy and consulting by those who use it. I actually understand that, the presenting problem represents what my clients don't want ... not what they do. So I only use this as information to focus the conversation to be having about what they do want ... or moving to the position of "What's Working".
Now this may be a case where you have to take a step backwards first to take a number of steps forward. When you are experiencing a trough you may not be be noticing for - "What's Working (at least not without some training and a great deal of commitment to do so). So, I often lead my clients back to a time where they remember being organized in regard to What's Working first ... "Remember a time when you were magnificent ... when you couldn't put a foot down wrong ..." would be an example of a phrase familiar to my clients.
I often remind them that the time I'm asking them to remember doesn't have to be a profound moment in their life, in fact it can often be better to begin from a simple, more ordinary, more mundane moment ... like preparing a great meal (even by accident), or washing the dishes ... the more mundane sometimes the better.
Okay ... I'll give you Irv Dardik's secret:
Every wave has both peaks and troughs within it - no wave can be only peak - there must be a trough as well (the "trick" consists of getting the pattern just right) All waves build up from small waves to big waves, from the smaller waves pushing forward - through the troughs and over the peaks. And, remember - all the substance of the wave was stored in the trough ... no trough, no peak ... the bigger the trough, the bigger the peak.
Essentially what I've found has been that when you get the pattern right you'll be able to be noticing for ... "What's Working" and operate in relation to the information/data gathered from that position.
So, what makes this so damn important?
When you are operating from the position of "What's Working" you're noticing for: WHAT YOU WANT ... NOT WHAT YOU DON'T WANT!
In this way you are organizing to get what you want as well. Let me make this simple again:
What I find myself doing primarily can be most simply described as well as: linking together strategies and people or if you prefer ideas and action. I find having a process for doing this makes a huge difference when you're committed to getting your outcomes ... both on your own and with others.
Enjoy the waves!
Joseph Riggio, Ph.D.
Princeton, NJ
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Keep It As Simple As Possible …
Posted by Joseph Riggio on Thursday, August 24, 2006The single “trick” that pulls the entire model of the work I do together ... and empowers you to produce your outcomes even in the midst of chaos.
Good Evening All,
The trend continues ... here I am at the end of the day making sure I get my daily dose of dialogue with all you all (still some lingering effect of being in Tiburon and "playing Southern").
A quote attributed to Albert Einstein has been running through my mind today:
"Everything should be as simple as it is, but not simpler." - Albert Einstein (from BrainyQuote.com)
I've been thinking about this one in relation to a number of things I've been doing and writing about lately. If I go back to some of my earliest posts in the revived BlogNostra I was writing about and presenting my ideas about what I do. I wanted to address this question, "What do I do?" to create a frame for you as you encounter what I write about here. If you get what I do - then you'll get much, much more value from what you read here as well.
As I've been thinking about this I decided I wanted to address this question using Einstein's attributed quote as the lens of consideration.
"What would be the simplest way to describe what I do - what you're reading about here - that adequately describes it without oversimplifying it?"
I begin from an assumption, you want to receive value from the time you spend here - reading what I write, reading the comments people make in regard to what I write ... and especially when you take time to leave a comment about what I've written here yourself, it makes perfect sense to me that you want significant value for your time spent. In answering this assumption I continue to keep you in mind as I write - both in regard to what I'm writing about, and how I go about writing it (that explains why your comments are so valuable and appreciated by me - "immediate feedback").
So what would be the simplest way to describe what you'll find as you read my posts here?
I describe a way to move from considering the world from the perspective of "What's Not Working" - to - "What's Working"
I don't think I can make it simpler - what I write about could be described as a multitude of ways to address the world from the perspective of, "What's Working." This unique perspective changes everything when you begin to adopt it as the basis of how you operate in the world. And, keeping it simple makes it totally accesible.
The idea doesn't rely on hoochie-goochie science or even wishful thinking and I definitely don't peddle a brand of pseudo-magic. This precludes the idea of possibility thinking or manifestation thinking as well. In other words what I'm presenting goes beyond any form of imagining the world into being - even when it might seem that way at first glance.
What seems similar to some folks I've spoken with revolves around the fundamental shift in perspective in what I do - moving from "What's Not Working" to "What's Working." If it remained just that - a shift in perspective from one position to another - then I would have to agree that what I say I'm not doing and what I'm doing would seem more similar then they are in fact.
One of the significant distinctions in what I'm doing has to do with going beyond just thinking or believing, it even goes beyond thinking or believing AND working hard. What I include in what I do moves beyond knowledge or the application of knowledge to the development of skills - in real time. One of the most critical skills that I address ... UPDATING.
The model I'm working out of presumes a totally dynamic environment/context - saturated with information/data emerging from it endlessly.
The ability to deal with an environment/context like the one I describe above - i.e.: totally dynamic and saturated with information/data, especially when you consider that the information/data emerges from the environment/context endlessly - requires you to free yourself of the desire to project the past forward. This means you are not depending on historical patterns to predict the current or future state of the environment/context or what will happen in it.
This prepares you to operate in relation to a chaotic environment/context - regardless of whether the chaos exists in relation to a business, professional, social or personal environment/context, or even some combination of these. The single "trick" I present in a multitude of ways has to do with operating from "What's Working" and the position that allows you to operate in this way.
One aspect of this "trick" has to do with organizing you to "noticing for" - in relation to where you are going - regardless of the environment/context or what you find happening in it. This aspect of the "trick" works in conjunction with noticing for (from the position of "What Works") in a teleological frame - or from a future-based consideration.
You can only succeed at operating in this way when you are in fact noticing for "What's Working" - and not at all when you are noticing for "What's Not Working. Noticing for "What's Not Working" prevents you from seeing the information/data present in the current environment/context ... only what you won't find present in the environment/context.
A dynamic environment/context saturated with information/data demands you are noticing for - "What's Working" to even hope to keep up and move forward ... otherwise you are virtually guaranteed to become overwhelmed by the inherent unpredictability and chaos.
This single question, "What's Working?" - shifts your entire perspective and operating position. Keep it simple ...
Joseph Riggio, Ph.D.
Princeton, NJ
Join me in the upcoming MythoSelf Advanced Program ... I'll be leading in October 20-22 in Princeton, NJ (at the AmeriSuites Hotel on US. Rt. 1). You'll find more information as well as a link to download the program PDF on the MythoSelf.com site.
[NOTE: If you are interested in attending this particular program with me as the lead presenter you'll want to do what you can to attend this program, as I have absolutely no plans to present another MythoSelf Advanced Program this year or next ... I'll share with you that this program gets among the most outstanding reviews of all the programs we run. ... One of the attendees at the recent MythoSelf Facilitator's Training program in Tiburon who's attend this program as well summed it up well ... AWESOME!!!]
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Knowing What You Want Will Show You The Way …
Posted by Joseph Riggio on Wednesday, August 23, 2006Finding your way in a world full of noise can be overwhelming ... knowing where you are headed can make all the difference!
Afternoon Folks,
I’m getting a bit of a late start on the ole’blog these last couple of days ... I mentioned to a colleague that it sometimes feels like I’m living in Grand Central Station ... phones are ringing, people are coming in and out, children want to be fed, coffee needs drinking (and therefore making ...) ... and so on, and so on. Most people however, myself included most of the time, simply call this LIFE!
So plainly the thing to do becomes obvious instantly when we’re paying attention ... get on with it ... get on with our lives. Yet sometimes this too can be a challenge unto itself ... choosing what to be getting on with. Where should we be putting our attention in terms of what has come up and what we find coming up around us that will most allow us to stay aligned with ourselves, operating with integrity and most effectively get our outcomes? Knowing how to answer this question can often make all the difference in both the quality of the outcomes you are producing ... and the quality of the life you are living.
One of the things I’ve been directing my attention to over these last few days here in “BlogNostra” has been the idea of noticing for information in the environment in a particular way - how the media directs our attention and how we attend in the world based on the “ground” created by the myth we hold, for example. What I’m really commenting about as I’m commenting on “noticing for” could be restated as commenting about the “signal-to-noise ratio” in the environment that we confront daily.
Simply put we are constantly under a barrage of “noise” that demands our attention by shear volume ... both in terms of amplitude and quantity ... it can be overwhelming! The trick to learn revolves around distinguishing the “signal” from the “noise” ... learning to pay attention not only to the “important”, but further refining this and paying the most attention to the “most important”.
Learning to pay attention to the “most important” information/data in the environment/context virtually always gives you a distinct edge in performance over those who are trying to pay attention to everything ... or even to everything that could be important.
In order to learn how-to pay attention to first and foremost (and at times only) to the “most important” information/data in the environment/context requires a specific orientation:
Most people can do one or more of these things some of the time, or do all of these things for a bit of the time - but very few people have learned how-to do all of these things, all of the time when they are operating in relation to getting their intended outcomes - yet learning how-to do all of these things simultaneously for as long as it takes to produce your intended outcomes forms the essence of what I’d call “Exquisite Performance.”
In fact what I’ve found seems to be that most people begin well and then ... get stuck. They literally “get stuck” and the simple evidence begins as you notice them holding their breath as they try to perform in realtion to producing their outcomes ... their very breath “gets stuck.” In contrast to this “exquisite performers” have learned to remain fluid and free as they perform - a measure of being “in the zone” or maybe accesssing a “flow state” - they remain aware and present as they continue to operate in relation to the outcome intended.
This last observation becomes critical when you apply it to “exquisite performance”:
The ability to “remain aware and present” as they continue to “operate in relation to the outcome intended” forming the essence of “exquisite performance.”
However, sometimes the environment/context stacks the deck against this kind of exquisite performance - by example we could use the idea of the “NEWS” as presented by the mass-media ... ALL NOISE! What these folks have become professional at doing includes raising the level of the background noise so high that it drowns out any possibility of extracting the “signal” - so ultimately the entire dump of information/data becomes virutally pure “noise.” Oh, of course the “signal” remains present in there - and it would be a clever trick to extract it despite the “noise” present - but what we’re talking about here would be the equivalent of the red dot on the red square extending to the edges of the canvas ... and your job would be to find the dot ... no contrast between the ground and the figure and for all intents and purposes no “figure” can be said to be present.
In a case like this what you’d need to know how to do would be to construct a filter that separates the signal that remains from the noise - think about those kid’s toys that have a secret message written in a scramble of letters/numbers/lines ... all in red and blue ... and by putting on a pair of cheap paper and plastic “eyeglasses” with red lens the message jumps off the page at you. Having that kind of a filter available in regard to the information/data in the environment/context you operate in would also make the “most important” information jump out from the background.
Fortunately for you - exquisite performers leave a trail of excellence when they do what they do, and one of the things that I’ve found to be virtually always present in this trail includes just such a filtering mechanism ... I call it a TELEOLOGICAL APPROACH ... meaning that you filter the information/data in the environment/context NOT only based on where you find yourself in the moment, but also and simulatneoulsy from the position you want to be holding when you have already acheived your outcome. This dual perspective allows you to develop a kind of perceptual wisdom in extracting the most important information/data from the entirety of what you find present.
Think of it in this way ... based on how you’d like your life to turn out, what do you think of all that you find present in your life right now will make the most difference in you having it turn out that way? Or ... based on the world you’d like to live in, what do you think the most important things are that you find present in the world right now that will make the biggest difference in you bringing about the kind of world you want to have left behind?
Joseph Riggio, Ph.D.
Princeton, NJ
PS - Take a look at the upcoming MythoSelf Advanced Program I’ll be leading in October 20-22 in Princeton, NJ (at the AmeriSuites Hotel on US. Rt. 1). You’ll find more information as well as a link to download the program PDF on the MythoSelf.com site.
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Unlocking the Myth
Posted by Joseph Riggio on Tuesday, August 22, 2006Joseph Campbell talked about the “The Power of Myth” ... now find out what “the myth” refers to AND how it applies directly to every performance you create ... in business, in relationships ... in life!
Hey folks,
Your first question might be, "What Myth?" That would be a great question. Let me begin with an answer to the question that could be behind that one, "Why would I care about "Unlocking the Myth"?" ... Another great question!
What most of my clients want are one of two things, they are:
E.g.: Executives or Business Owners running senior level teams, Sales Professionals wanting to be more effective with clients, Managers wanting to improve their impact with reports ...
What I'm referring to as "the myth" really refers to two separate myths most often, 1) "the myth" that you hold and 2) "the myth" that others hold (those who you're interacting with). These both refer to how people make sense of the world - including you.
We could call the myth - "the essential ground" - that you (and others) hold in place. This ground forms the basis for how you make sense of the world around you. You can only make sense of what you come into contact with in relation to this ground. Everything either stands out or disappears for you as a result of the ground you hold in place.
An example of this would be looking at a red dot in a white square with a black border around it. You'd have no trouble identifying the red dot. Now take for example a red dot in a darker red square with a black border around it. You'd have a harder time finding the dot at first. Now take a red dot an put it into an only very slightly darker red square with a black border around it - and I'd guess you'd have a very difficult time finding the dot. Finally take a red dot in a red square (of the same color that fills the entire page/screen) and I'd guess it becomes impossible to find the red dot.
In the descriptions above the square would be the ground. The red dot would represent what we could call the figure on the ground. This relationship between ground and figure establishes the ease with which you'll recognize what you come into contact with - i.e.: the higher the contrast between ground and figure the easier it will be to perceive the figure.
The "MYTH" you live forms the "ground" for your life - you will only be able to perceive what has enough contrast in regard to your myth for you to be able to recognize it ...
Too little contrast and you will not recognize it as being there, too much contrast and you'll avoid it ... just enough contrast and it will be perceived as pleasing to you.
You (and others) conduct virtually all of your life in relation to your "essential myth - the "ground" of your being and how you recognize what you perceive and accept as "real." Change the "myth" and you change instantaneously everything held in relation to it ... or what you perceive to be real. This also applies in terms of relativity ... the relationship you hold between things, i.e.: how important something will be to you (or others) will be dependent upon how you (or they) hold it in relation to the myth you (or they) are holding it within.
What makes this idea so profound in the work I do - working in this way releases the individual from making "incremental" or "gradual" changes to get their outcome(s). Instead of fixating on the specific elements they are dealing with, or the process they are using to get their outcome(s) I work with them to adjust the ground (or background) upon which they are perceiving the entirety of their experience.
Imagine how powerful it would be to have the most useful and appropriate filters in place to establish the perceptions you want to be having about the world around you, including others - or the filters you want others to have in relation to how they perceive you and what you put out into the world ... THAT'S THE MYTH!
Now imagine having the keys to unlocking these myths ... both yours (first) and (then) others ... how powerful would that be???
Well you now have the first clue to having the keys handed to you ... THE MYTH EXISTS.
The next steps would include becoming familiar with your own myth in terms of how it shows up in your life ... HINT ... look at the outcomes you already get, especially in regard to others - both output and input.
The "Power of Myth" doesn't have to remain confined to telling nice stories, it can become the power you use to create the life you want to be living.
Joseph Riggio, Ph.D.
Princeton, NJ
EPC(tm) Series One Audio CD sets are ready to go ... however the special pricing that we now have in place won't be there much longer. This is a four CD and one Video CD set, with the full workshop manual included as well, about the EPC2 - Exquisite Performance Coaching Process. I'm making this last offer to purchase at the discounted price until 31 August 2006 ... after that the price will increase without exceptions!
To read more about this package and order it directly for the
discounted price while you still can go to: EPC(tm) - Series One
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What Really Counts
Posted by Joseph Riggio on Monday, August 21, 2006Learning to what to count on ... including yourself ... may be what makes all the difference in how successful you are - in business, in relationships ... in life - or not!
Howdy all,
I thought about calling this particular post ... What Can We Really Count On? ... but, I decided to move attentionally in a slightly different direction.
The basis of millions, or even billions, of dollars of loss (or gain) begins with our ability to make good decisions, or our lack of that ability.
Let me begin with sharing what I think will prove to be a powerful reference:
What you'll find when you view this link will be a short video showing some "photo manipulation" perpetrated by a photo-journalist from Reuters, as well as other news agencies, including the NY Times. To be fair you want to know the source of this video: Aish HaTorah, a non-profit, apolitical network of Jewish educational centers (according to their website aish.com). By no means do I think that this source is unbiased, yet that doesn't automatically discount the information they present in this video ... I think you'll find it well worth a look ...
Two things continue to amaze to me:
What allows the horrendous manipulation of the news includes our desire to "believe" and more significantly our desire to "believe we're in the know" ... we want to believe that we have the pertinent information that will allow us to understand our world, and that subsequently informs both our personal and our social decisions.
The real challenge - beyond getting better information sources - will be developing the ability to think and respond not just differently in relation to the information we have, but better as well.
I think there are at least three significant aspects to this ability to "think and respond better":
[For a graphic representation of a relational decision-making process see Decision-Making 101.]
Let me offer an example that seems to me to be very "real-world" today. One of the basic considerations I make about how we shape our realities has to do with the input mechanism at the entry point to our decision-making process. Simply put:
"What we allow into our minds to be processed will largely determine what the output of that processing will ultimately be."
Take for example what we have been doing with our considerations around "TERRORISM" - we are building "terror" and "fear" into our psychic awareness as the basis of how we perceive the world around us. The U.S. has been told that, "the terrorists are coming", not that they might. The country waits on the edge of this "knowledge" in "terror" and "fear" of this impending event.
In addition to setting up the conditions that cause terror and fear, this ongoing way of thinking about the world sets up the conditions to shape our behaviors as we see happening every day. The willingness, even begrudging willingness, to stand for hours in security lines at the airports around the U.S. - and much of Europe as well - has been shaped by the feeding out of the information we receive almost daily about "The War On Terror."
Our attitudes and willingness to act in the ways we do depends on our belief that the information we have reflects the actual conditions that exist. This information primes the decision-making system and the thinking and subsequent responses that follow.
Control the flow of information and/or the way it will be processed and you control the response the information creates.
This idea forms the basis for all propaganda as well as persuasion. The intention or application doesn't matter ... shaping public opinion, winning a political campaign, marketing a product or service, sales, negotiation, building relationships ... our ability to uncover the information in the system, make sense of it and then decide in relation to the information present determines the outcomes we produce - or not.
When the information we receive and accept as true has been manipulated to reflect something other than the extant situation if we act on that information our outcomes will suffer.
While we cannot necessarily control all of our information inputs, we can learn to extract higher quality information from the available sources and then learn to use that information more effectively as well - radically improving the quality of our output.
We can learn to count on our ourselves ... doing this may be the beginning of all true success.
Joseph Riggio, Ph.D.
Princeton, NJ
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