The Honest Edge

We all have our challenges, our obstacles, our edge. And they are all different for each of us. What for some may be a jog, for others will be a marathon. What for some may be a hill, for others will be a mountain. We all have our differing capacities and therefore tests.

One action to be taken. Same outcome to be had. Two people. For one, it’s a day at the spa. For the other it’s a march through Hell. Who has access to greater capacity? The one for whom it is a day at the spa right? Let’s look at it from a slightly different angle. Let’s say the one who feels like they’re at the spa when faced with having to undertake this action, chooses to stay within the comfort of their abilities. And let’s say the one for whom it is a march through Hell, tearing away at their fears and perceived weakness, has just come out the other side. Now, let’s ask the question again: Who has access to greater capacity?

Our capabilities and success’s can’t be judged against another. Therefore it can only be judged from within. And that’s much harder to be honest about. Therefore, sometimes looking to an outside source can assist putting perspective on where we’re truly at.

No judgement here. But if you’ve heard yourself say any of the following, resulting in your not making progress towards your goals (or keeping you from making any at all), take a moment to re-access. Am I honestly up against my edge?  Am I truly forging towards my greatest capacity?

Dare to Evolve,
Shane.

What Plan B?

Qualities I’ve heard attributed to me over the years, by people I know, include disciplined, focused, consistent and methodical.

And it’s funny, because when I think about those qualities in a person, as a neutral observer standing outside myself, I’d expect someone who is very systematic, has well thought out strategies, plans out each step and has alternatives should the actions they take not work out.

But I realized this last year, that I never have a Plan B. Nor have I ever had one.

When I was 10 years old, we lived in Mittimatalik (Pond Inlet), Canada. There I had access to amazing mountains and cliffs (which we didn’t have back in Deline). And I loved to climb. One climb I did was close to home. The community is right on the ocean and to one end has cliffs that go straightdown to it. In a couple areas there were ledges you could scramble down to, kind of like platforms. On this particular day I made it down to one of them so I might attempt an ascent.

I stood there, surrounded by outcropping boulders mimicking giant stalagmites of an age long forgotten , I mapped the approximate route of the 35 foot climb before me.

As I went, I was feeling really good, the exhilaration of each hand movement, of each foot placement as I rose to the top. Then, about 3/4’s of the way up, my hand hits loose rock. Okay, lets try over here. Loose. Hmmn, put my foot there, lets get a little higher and…no. I slowly get back to my previous position. Yes, by this point, my heart rate has elevated. I’m sweating more than just from the effort. And I’m scared. I take a breath.

So what are my options? As I looked back down, there wasn’t much space to make a half decent fall I could at least live through (should that choice be thrust upon me).  All I saw were the spear headed boulders, lying in wait for the tiger that would fall into it’s trap. The holds were too small to safely attempt a descent. I thought to climb laterally and get around the loose section, but now that I knew it was there, as I looked, the coloration and pattern of the rock told me it was a band straight across. My only real option was up. Up through 3-4  feet of loose rock, followed by another 6 feet to the top.

On a positive note, at least I would always have some solid purchase. When my hands were in no mans land, my feet had solid footing. When my feet were crossing into someones idea of a cruel joke, my hands had a firm hold.

Whatever thoughts that previously crept in my mind about what lay below me were wiped clean. I couldn’t think about it. I needed all faculties focused on getting up. With each placement, I applied a slow, steady pressure so as to avoid jarring the rocks, causing them to slip out from their as yet undisturbed resting place. This technique also ensured that the rock I was holding onto, was as adhered as it was going to get to the rock IT was resting on, sending a chain reaction that (hopefully) would provide me as solid a wall as possible.

After a few crumbles and a few not so successful attempts, I passed the first half of this endeavour. Hands were now solid and it was about getting my feet through. The part about this that made it so long was the shifting of weight from one limb to the other. It needed to be slow and deliberate, because I couldn’t completely move off, in case the loose stuff gave way before I’d applied my full body weight to it. Without further incident I got past. A few more feet was all that was left, yet I forced myself not to rush, with the feeling of relief threatening to charge in full force. I was still on the side of a cliff.

Just for good measure and to ensure I truly appreciated the experience, there was nothing to grip at the top, that I might safely pull myself up. This was like pulling yourself up over a box that’s too high to get your hands underneath you, to push up and over. I had to put one arm at a time on the ledge and pull with my elbows until I could get a leg up to finish the job.

Once on top, I didn’t move. I just lay there. Eyes closed. Breathing in the faint scent of the tiny wildflowers that were sprinkled across the bare Eastern Arctic during their brief summer stay. Then the relief rushed in. And then the exhilaration. I sat up, turned around and, putting my legs over the edge, soaked in the incredible view that seared itself into my memory. The sun blazing reddish orange as it lowered around the backside of the mountains.  The incredible peaks of Bylot Island staring back at me with ancient eyes. An iceberg peacefully gliding through the sound, in no hurry to see this day end. And almost no wind, that all may hear the deafening silence of that land. This glorious sight, truly a gift of which I will be forever thankful to have received, was the result of my commitment to the goal at hand.

My childhood and teenage years (and my young adult life, come to think of it) are littered with these experiences. I wasn’t a happy-go-lucky thrill seeker. When I decided to undertake a challenge or goal, I considered it gravely. Looked at the options before me. Reflected on the reality of what I was about to engage in. But then, upon deciding to move forward, I committed whole-heartedly, with everything I could dredge up. I never thought about turning back. I never thought  ”What if this doesn’t work?”. “What if I don’t make it?” Because to do so was to rob myself of the precious resources needed to accomplish what I set out to do.

And that has transferred over in my daily life, in my work and career, in my hobbies and interests. When I choose a path of action, I have nothing to fall back on. No Plan B that sits in the shadows, ready to coddle me should I not make it. Forward I go with complete commitment. Failures and challenges met as a natural component and welcomed necessity for success.

Feel like the quest towards living your greatest life has been stalling or become stagnant? Have a Plan B? Is it time to drop it?

Dare to Evolve,
Shane.

9,000 Days…

“9,000 days were set aside,
9,000 days of destiny…”

I recently saw the film “Invictus”. It’s the story of Nelson Mandela’s creative and ingenious efforts in bringing the country of South Africa closer together in unity, to be the “rainbow nation”, by rallying everyone around their national rugby team’s drive towards the 1995 World Cup.

A centrepiece of the film was a small poem after which the film is named, written by William Ernest Henley:

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be,
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

It was said to have been a source of inspiration for Mandela during his time in prison.

When I hear people speak to the idea of being in control of their fate, of creating their own destiny, it often seems to be in the context of literally being able to control what happens to you in your life. But we all know we can’t dictate what happens to us, what life throws our way.  What we can do however, is control our response to it. Dictate the manner in which we choose to face it. Determine the actions we take in light of the opportunities presented before us. The poem, the film and it’s theme song, “9,000 Days” speak to this so beautifully. And from that song, two lines in particular:

“9,000 days were set aside,
9,000 days of destiny…”

The 9,000 days speak to his time in prison. What an image. Looking at those 9,000 days as having been set aside specially for Mandela, that he might take up the call and fulfill a destiny the likes of which history will not soon forget. He truly did become the master of his fate by being the captain of his soul. By taking every adversity and hardship as the opportunities  they were, to do more, so much more.

Made me think about my “9,000 days” and reflect on the purpose it’s served. The purpose it’s still serving. And how I have faired in the face of it all.

We all have faced those “9,000″ days. Many of us still do. Will you be the master of your fate, the captain of your soul?

Dare to Evolve,
Shane.

Journey of Thor’s Hammer

Far too often, at least in Western society, the focus of ones goals is on the end results. And the value of the work put in to get to that result is based on what those results yield. Yet we don’t always reach our intended goal.

Does that diminish the journey towards that end? Just because we don’t get where we had hoped or what we did achieve was deemed by others to be less than satisfactory, does that make the learning, the triumphs, the tests, the failures and the discoveries along the way obsolete? Of course not.

If anything, the journey holds for us the treasures of greatest value in a quest for riches, not the chest of gold at it’s end. The magnificence of a storm builds for days and weeks, drawing on all the elements of the earth in conjunction with one another, performing essential process’s to life. The thunder and lightening are merely the show.

This excessive focus on the intended success of one’s goals cultivates a culture fixated on failure. Yep failure. Even though we’re all zoned in on what level of success we will achieve, we will fail far more often than we succeed. It’s just part of the learning process. Required for our growth. And so we see far more failure, which we have learned over years of conditioning, as negative and to be avoided.

But what came of all those hours and days, weeks and months, the years, that you put in? What amazing revelations, inspirations and actions were made along the way? How did what you encountered evolve the original intention of the journey, for the better?  Embrace the journey and the “failures” that come with it.

As a part of my own embrace of the process, I’d like to share a Prasara Yoga Flow I created, “Thor’s Hammer” Flow.  It’s still in the process of refinement and I had thought to share once it was completed. But that was with my gaze looking towards its end. To really delve and gain what I may from the process of its creation, I need to embrace the process and all its “imperfections” (and let you in on it:).

Embrace the journey….

Boundless Apple-Pip

Continued from Apple-Pip of Her Eye, the story of The Apple-Pip Princess draws to a close:

“Darkness fell, and Serenity was tired and despondent. With tears in her eyes, she opened the wooden box one last time and released the burst of nightingale song among the branches of the tiny apple tree.

With the beautiful sound filling their ears, Serenity and Joseph fell into an exhausted sleep.

Early the next morning, the king appeared – it was time to make his decision. Suzanna called to him from the top of her tower.

‘Father, Father – look at this tower! Surely it’s the tallest tower you’ve ever seen. I should definitely be the one to rule the kingdom!’

But the king shivered in the shadow that the huge tower cast.

‘Father, Father – look at me!’ called Miranda from the top of her tower. ‘Isn’t this the most beautiful tower you have ever seen? I should rule the kingdom!’

But the king was blinded by the shiny tower flashing in the sun.

The king looked around for his youngest daughter, but she was nowhere to be seen. He walked outside the palace walls and found Serenity and Joseph lying asleep on the ground. He woke them gently.

‘Oh, Father, I’m so sorry….’ Serenity began, but the king took her by the shoulders and turned her around.

As far as her eyes could see, there were plants and trees – fruit, olive, and nut trees, all fresh and green in the early morning sunshine. Serenity and her father walked slowly, arm in arm.

The air was full of the scent of flowers, and all around them children were playing. People were picking fruit and tending the trees, and the old people were resting in the dappled shade.

The old king felt his poor unhappy heart fill with warmth again as all his sadness drifted away on the breeze.

‘Serenity, my Serenity,’ he said. ‘You shall rule the kingdom! For you have transformed the land and made it blossom again.’

But what of Suzanna and Miranda, you ask? Well, if Suzanna stood at the very top of her creaking tower, on tiptoe in her scarlet shoes, and reached as high as she could, she could nearly touch the moon.

And if Miranda balanced on the very top turret of her shiny tower, she could nearly touch the stars.

But after a while, each began to feel rather lonely. Then they heard the sound of laughter and birdsong floating up on the breeze.

So they climbed down and joined the king, Serenity, Joseph, and everyone else sitting under the trees.

As day faded into night, the three princesses lay down in the grass and listen to the magical sound of the nightingale’s song.”

The source of happiness for Serenity came when she focused her efforts towards helping those around her. Even though she was doing it because she’d been given a task by her father, to see whether she was was fit to rule the kingdom, her expression of that task came in the form of bettering the lives of others. Not only did she discover happiness, plentifulness, love and “wealth” for herself, she assisted others to find it as well, by providing the opportunity to help each other.

Amazing how obvious and clear that comes across in a story for children.

If you’re in search for that elusive happiness, that sense of purpose in your life, perhaps reflect on how much, in your lives and occupations, being of service to others plays a role. You may just find a key to a long elusive door.

Dare to Evolve,
Shane.

Apple-Pip of Her Eye

Continued from Giant Wee Apple-Pip, the story of The Apple-Pip Princess:

“Well, the truth is that she was little and shy and quite ordinary. And she was rather afraid of the dark and crumbling royal dungeon.

While Suzanna and Miranda rushed about, Serenity sat in her favourite  place and looked in her mother’s wooden box.

My sisters are clever and pretty, but I am no more important than this little apple pip. What can I do to make Father proud of me? Serenity wondered, gazing out at the barren land.

Looking at the seven magical treasures in the box, she heard her mother’s voice telling her how she had carefully collected each one in her wanderings through the nearby hills and forests. Serenity remembered how wonderful the kingdom had been when the queen was still alive.

And slowly, the tiny seed of an amazing idea began to form in her mind. She began to smile. And then she began to work.

On the first day, Serenity took a trowel and began to dig in the ground. It was difficult work, because the earth was baked hard by the sun, but she kept digging until it was crumbly and brown. Carefully, she took the tiny apple pip from its embroidered bag and planted it in the earth.

On the second day, Serenity planted the pips from her breakfast pear next to the apple pip. Then she watered them with the scattering of raindrops.

On the third day, she planted the pips from an orange she had for lunch and let the splash of sunlight dance over the earth. Then, she watched in amazment as green shoots pushed their way through the soil.

On the fourth day, Serenity planted pits from her suppertime cherries. Then, she took the fragment of rainbow and flung it high into the blue sky. The little green plants turned their leaves to the sun and smiled.

On the fifth day, Serenity noticed a boy from the village watching her and called him over. He brought her a plum pit and began to help. They worked together all day, digging in the hot sun, and by evening they were firm friends.

Before they went home, Serenity took the starbird’s feather and let it fan a soft fresh breeze over the earth.

The boy’s name was Joseph, and on the sixth day he returned with olive pits from his mother. Word began to spread, and the people came to offer gifts of orange and lemon pips

They helped Serenity and Joseph dig and water, plant and sow, and taught them all they remembered about tending the land.

Before the sun began to set, Serenity draped the spider’s dewy web over the bright young leaves and buds of the tiny apple tree.

By the seventh day, the land beyond the palace walls was covered in the misty green of little seedlings. But Serenity had a problem. Although she could easily imagine how lovely all the trees and plants would be when they were fully grown, she realized that they would never be ready when the king made his decision the next day.

As evening approached, Serenity suddenly put down her trowel. ‘It’s no good,’ she said.’My father can’t possibly choose me.’ ‘The plants will grow,’ Joseph said. ‘Look how strong the little apple tree has grown. We must just be patient.’

And the finale…..

Giant Wee Apple-Pip

Continued from Selfish Secret, the story of The Apple-Pip Princess:

“Inside the box were seven magical things that the queen had collected when she was a little girl.

There was a scattering of raindrops, a splash of sunlight, a fragment of rainbow, a starbird’s feather, a spider’s dewy web, a burst of nightingale song, and at the bottom, an embroidered silken bag that held a tiny apple pip.

Serenity liked to look carefully at all the things inside. They helped her remember her mother and how beautiful their land had once been.

Time passed, and one day the king called his daughters to him.

‘I am old now, so I must choose which of you will be the best ruler of our kingdom after I have gone,’ he said. ‘I have decided to set you a task. You must each do something to make your mark – something to make me proud. After seven days and seven nights, I will look at what you have done and I will make my decision.’

Suzanna was clever and knew straightaway what she wanted to do. ‘I will build the tallest tower in the world,’ she said. ‘It will be so tall that it will reach the moon. People will see it and remember what a very important person I am. They will be so proud to be ruled by me that they won’t mind being hungry at all.’

She sent orders for people to bring her all the wood in the kingdom – even if it was the roof over their heads or the fences that kept their animals safe. And if anyone even thought of arguing with her, she would throw them into the dark and crumbling royal dungeon!

Miranda was clever, too, but rather vain and far too busy admiring herself in the mirror to have any ideas of her own.

‘If Suzanna is building a tower tall enough to reach the moon, I will build one to reach the stars,’ said Miranda. ‘If her tower is made from plain old wood, mine will be made of shiny metal. People will see my lovely tower and rememeber how beautiful I am. They will be so honored to be ruled by me that they won’t mind being poor at all!’

Immediately, Miranda sent orders for people to bring her all the metal in the kingdom – even their cooking pots and tin pans, copper bells and birdcages. And if anyone argued, Miranda would stamp her foot and throw them into the dark and crumbling royal dungeon!

Now, I expect you are wondering about Serenity, the youngest princess. Maybe you think that I’m going to tell you that she was the cleverest, or the most beautiful. or her father’s favourite, because that is often the way with fairy tales.”

To be continued….

The Selfish Secret

I have the joy and pleasure of reading to my son every evening before he goes to bed. In fact, I miss it when, on the odd night, I can’t. There have been a couple occasions where the story really stood out, with a great message or lesson being conveyed. We recently read just such a story called The Apple-Pip Princess (by Jane Ray).

What amazes me is how a truth shines so clearly when striving to be conveyed to a child. All the theoretical, heady explanations must, out of necessity, be set aside. What’s left is the core of the message that anyone can plainly see, combined with the element of igniting ones imagination.

How different it is when done for we as adults. For example, many are familiar with“The Secret”. I watched it a couple years ago on a recommendation. And there was alot of great stuff being said. Alot that I could relate to. But it left me feeling very off. Very empty. I knew immediately what it was. Touted to hold universal truths to happiness, the source for acquiring it was still being sought in materialistic means. And it pressed the notion of using these truths to continue doing for yourself. I think we’ve all seen many examples in our lives and our cultures where doing for yourself (unless it holds a higher purpose) leaves you unfulfilled,  dissatisfied and unhappy. Somehow the message of finding happiness and “wealth” in our lives got lost in the translation. Or in order to make loads of money, they decided to sell us on gaining riches, keeping us further from the path, on their way to being “happy”. Okay Shane, that’s enough. Okay.

Although it seems simple, common sense and obvious, sometimes it takes looking through the eyes of a child to grasp the treasure at hand. Without further a do, The Apple-Pip Princess:

“Let me tell you a story about something that happened a long time ago in a land far from here – a land ruled by an old king who had three daughters.

Their kingdom had once been covered in forests filled with birdsong, and the palace had been a busy and bustling place. But since the queen’s death, the heart had gone out of the kingdom – the winters were bitter, the summers were scorched, and the palace was filled only with sadness.

The people lived in tumbledown cottages and scratched a living from the dry earth. The animals were so skinny you could hear their ribs rattling, and the birds were too hungry to sing.

Now, before the queen had died, she’d asked each of her daughters to choose one of her possessions to remember her by.

Suzanna, the eldest princess, picked a pair of fine scarlet shoes, with heels that made sparks on the cobblestones. When Suzanna put them on, she felt tall and important.

Miranda, the middle princess, chose a magnificent mirror made of silver and pearls. She spent hours gazing into it, thinking herself quite the most beautiful princess there had ever been.

Serenity, the youngest princess, chose only a simple wooden box that she had loved since she was a baby.”

To be continued…..

Forging Ahead

So this years “theme” has gone through an interesting transition. I wrote in “Humble Before the Giant” that although I was still feeling strongly connected to the metaphor of riding giant waves, the quality that I was focusing on had shifted. Instead of the previous year of connecting with joyfulness, it became apparent that the quality I was feeling drawn to was humility.

As it turns out, riding giant waves just needed a couple months more before letting in the new theme that would accompany Humility for the rest of this year. And it came on with full force!

Images are a powerful component of these themes for me. I’m a very visual person and so an image will often form, as the metaphor for where I’m at coalesces. And over the last month, the image of a blacksmith, strong and powerful as he forged the tool he was creating, kept pushing itself to the surface.

The last year has seen me, as I worked towards being capable of riding those “giant waves” and the sheer joy it brings me, patiently and systematically turning up the heat. Smelting off the unnecessary slag that would weaken my ability to take that next step. Now, feeling in a place to test my metal. Or rather, forge it. Even my physical transformation goal seems to fall in time with the pound of this hammer.

And wouldn’t you know it,  a couple weeks ago, two days after having all this crystallize before me, the forging process started in earnest. I caught the flu, worst I’ve had in about 3 years. And for 24 hrs, I lay in a dark room, sweating like mad from the internal heat, cold from all the sweating and an incessant pounding in my head. At one point, while lying there, trying to relax and find the calm center as I rode this out, I started to laugh. I couldn’t help it. I thought “Well, I asked for it”.  Having my sprite physicality  stripped completely out from under me for the next two weeks, tempering my spirit, definitely humbled me. It let me know what it would mean to enter this process.

With an open heart, a fertile mind and humble spirit I step into the black, my path lit only by the glow of the forge…

Dare to Evolve,
Shane.

The Heart of Why

Why does anyone do what they do? What motivates us? What ignites the drive to strive to be better than we already are? To put in the precious time, honest effort, the mental/emotional struggle, the humbling work? It would be nice to think it comes from within and that we do it for the sake of doing it. When I look around, however, if I’m really honest about what I see, that’s not the case. We may be able to start, riding the initial spark of excitement. But before long, we stutter, stall or stop all together. For most of us, an external motivating force that fuels and sustains our efforts is needed. We need a reason to do it.

“Because I should” may be reason enough, but lets face it, it doesn’t connect with us emotionally. It doesn’t inspire the transformation of the hero within each of us. Accepting right off the bat that we need an external motivator that means something to us, enhances our chances of finding a solid one, thus resulting in greater success. Now the search for what lays at the heart can begin.

What motivates me? The unity of mankind.  I’m not talking about some blissful, monochromatic utopia. I mean the unity of mankind, with all it’s enriching diversity. Yeah, yeah, sounds altruistic, but it’s true. This lies at the heart of what motivates my personal development. It lies at the heart of my service towards my fellow man. This is what keeps me going.

But isn’t this kind of….broad, generalized and just plain HUGE!? Yes it is. And because it’s so, it can be difficult to feel a tangible connection to it on a daily basis. But it hit me last week. I found something very real and very important to me that I know lies at the heart of why I do what I do. It was while I was holding my youngest son, Will.  His nose was running, he was coughing and had a fever. In fact, my eldest son and wife were sick as well. I was manning the ship. And in putting alot of the work aside, to take the time to be there and care for them, it struck me what an honor and a blessing it was to do so. This is why I do what I do. My family lies at the heart of why. My love for them and their well-being is my motivation.

The unity of mankind must first see the unity of nations. The unity of nations must first see the unity of states and provinces. The unity of states and provinces must first see the unity of cities. The unity of cities must first see the unity of communities. The unity of communities must first see the unity of families. The unity of my family. And the only way I can make my best contribution to it, is to continually be the best I can be.

What’s your motivation? Is it working? If it isn’t, dig a little deeper. It’s there. It’s right in front of you. It’s real. As real as the blood in your veins. It’s at the heart of “why”.