Notes from Staycation: What's up?

So, I told myself I needed a staycation because my yard needed my personal attention and I was the only person who could do the things that need to happen.

Three hours into the job I was covered in puncture wounds from cutting back my bougainvillea and not making lots of progress. I used executive decision making and decided this work needed someone else to do it for $$$ or other. One hour after that decision was made my older brother called and asked if I needed help with the yard. Synchronicity rules!

What I really needed was a dose of perspective that comes from detaching completely from the daily routine.  For example I sat with a cup of coffee and did nothing but drink it. At least a dozen times I got the urge to get up and "do" something. I just stayed in one place, sipping my coffee, scratching my dog behind the ears and looking out the window.

It weighs 18 lbs!

Another thing I did was actually take time to read a book that showed up minutes before I left for my sister's. I read a great deal for business already but this is more like a business book crossed with an art book. Its simply beautiful...something I easily could have put aside indefinitely waiting for the perfect time to plumb into. As a child I adored large format books. I even had a coffee table edition of the King James bible that I carried to church--it's probably partially responsible for the good upper body strength I still have.

I'm also trying out something new. I just finished an appointment with a personal coach--not one for running but one who helps refine thinking by asking lots of good questions and exploring strategies based on what is uncovered in the inquiry. I engaged a coach because I wanted to vet some ideas with someone outside my personal circle. I've always been intrigued by the concept of personal coaching and wanted to experience it first hand.

Coach Max is a totally cool rockin' queen of the world. I felt immediately at ease with her and able to discuss my ideas in my own way without too much additional explanation. It was impressive how closely she was able to track my train of thought. She also did homework before our session which was refreshing. Check out her blog...I find it inspiring and entertaining.

On the subject of coaching, innovation, creation this quote by Albert Einstein keeps coming up:

“If I had an hour to solve a problem I'd spend 55 minutes thinking about the problem and 5 minutes thinking about solutions.”

So often we are tempted to follow solutions without really understanding the root of whatever it is we are trying to change or improve. At work I'm learning Customer Driven Innovation (CDI) which is a system of inquiry that reveals root cause, tracks where processes become suboptimal (as well as where they peak) and then uses that insight to help drive change/innovation. Coaching is so similar to that...Max was careful to understand my own peaks and valley's before we even began to talk about directions. We spoke of small experiments to try and little changes I could make to see if my compass is facing North.

May you experience penetrating inquiry and be filled with insight!