Jan
08
Hugh MacLeod over at gapingvoid has revisited an oldie and a goodie of his. In a “same same but different” way, it reminds me of the improv principle – Start Anywhere. One bite at a time and all that.
Jul
08
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Another gem from Hugh MacLeod’s through his daily email cartoon. You can subscribe here. Hugh says Ask yourself, have you been inspired today? If not, don’t you think you should do something about it. Like… right this VERY minute? Serious question.
May
26
Hugh MacLeod (@gapingvoid) is the author of Ignore Everybody And 39 Other Keys to Creativity. Early this year he started sending out Hugh’s Daily Cartoon on an email subscription service. I recommend you drop by Hugh’s website and sign up. Every day there is a new wonderfully ‘scribbled’ thought.
Resistance is everywhere. An idea emerges from someone else or from our own head and we begin to ask all manner of vocal and silent questions. Can we afford it? Didn’t we try that once before? How will things change for me? How will it work? How can we sell this? How does it fit with what’s happening now?
In The Answer to How is Yes: Acting on What Matters, Peter Block pays particular attention to the question “How?” He begins with an excerpt from his book – Stewardship.
“There is depth in the question “How do I do this?” that is worth exploring. The question is a defence against the action. It is a leap past the question of purpose, past the question of intentions, and past the drama of responsibility. The question “How?” – more than any other question – looks for the answer outside of us. It is an indirect expression of our doubts ….
Peter Block says that we find ourselves giving in to our doubts “instead of settling for what we know how to do, or can soon learn how to do, instead of pursuing what matters to us and living with the adventure and anxiety that this requires”. [..] We often ask ourselves the question of whether something is worth doing by going straight to the question “How do we do it?”" He suggests that if we were to go for six months without asking the How question something might shift. We would focus more on why we do what we do – and create space for conversations, room for discussion about purpose, (room for great ideas) about what is worth doing, about what matters.
There is value in sitting quietly and welcoming the space of uncertainty and allowing yourself not to be distracted by other things. Distractions are resistance at work. Hugh MacLeod’s first chapter is Ignore Everybody. Include yourself in that advice. Resistance is everywhere!
Lynn Walsh – workshop facilitator – SydneyLynn Walsh – workshop facilitator – Sydney
