Oya's Newsletter: "Roots & Wings"

April 2004: Volume 1, Issue 1. 

Written & Published by Philippa Kennealy, MD, MPH

Contents
1. Welcome Note
2. Shaking Things Up!
3. On Track
4. Book review of the Month

1. Welcome Note:

I am thrilled to be writing my first newsletter, Roots and Wings, for Oya Consulting and my new website, www.oyaconsulting.com. I feel like I have arrived ….. a player in cyberspace. This arrival symbolizes the fulfillment of one of my goals, set several years ago, to create my own business and use the medium of the Internet and e-mail to connect with a community. I hope to be a periodic welcome source of inspiration and useful information, arriving at your request, in your mailboxes.

Why have I called my newsletter “Roots and Wings”?

My title is inspired by a favorite quotation, by Hodding Carter Jr: “There are two lasting bequests we can give our children: One is roots. The other is wings.”

May you be both grounded and able to soar as high as you wish!

2. Shaking things up - How to Begin the Journey to Fulfillment!

As I sat listening to our Los Angeles Philharmonic playing recently, I observed that the traditional placement of instrument players had been shaken up. The cellists and double bass players were seated opposite their usual location in the orchestra. This intrigued me, as I listened with a not-highly specialized ear, wondering what difference this might make. Being curious, I inquired a few days later and all I was able to ascertain was that this was done according to the conductor’s preference. I was left to speculate as to what his reason for the rearrangement was. What led him to believe that the music sounded better this way? Was he experimenting or did he know he had discovered a superior sound?

Although I did not have the satisfaction of a more detailed response, I began thinking about the opportunity for trial and error in our own lives. As creatures of habit, we are not accustomed to challenging ourselves, or others, to try something new or different. We are afraid to experiment for fear that we may fail, or make fools of ourselves. We wallow in wishful thinking and hold ourselves back from taking bold steps, because, because……..! We always have a dozen solid reasons.

This is the thinking of adults, long removed from the delightful exploration and testing of young children, and dulled by the establishment of routines whose origins we don’t often remember.
When last did you try something really new? What did you learn by doing it? What did you discover about yourself?

If you have an opportunity in the next month, watch a young child. At a store, in a park, at home. Really observe them. They are very busy learning about their world by testing it and themselves. See what captures their attention. Notice the amazement on their faces. Listen to the animation in their voices. They are fully absorbed, living life in the moment, unaware of tomorrow or next month. We were once those children filled with wonder and excitement at the marvels the immediate world had to offer.

We are 25 percent of the way into 2004. Many of us are already making plans for the summer, which will be here all too soon. At least it will be for those of us living in the United States.
It is time to ask ourselves:
What would we like to shake up in our own lives?
What new sound do we want the world to hear as a result of our experimental “rearrangements”?

• Create a wish list.
• Take inventory of what is on your list.
• Pick ONE wish, big or small, and identify what initial steps it would take to make that wish happen
• Take at least ONE of those steps this month
• Celebrate your achievement if you succeed in taking one step towards fulfilling that wish.

Be inventive and daring. Be that persistent child, filled with wonder. Rearrange your instruments and break with tradition to seek a richer sound!

“Great things are not done by impulse but by a series of small things brought together” - Vincent van Gogh.

3. On Track: Goal-Setting Part 1

In the past, I struggled to set goals that were both meaningful and realistic. I realize now that many of my achievements were accidental or the result of being opportunistic. While that strategy may have largely worked, I have discovered the rewards of being more deliberate and thoughtful. It is speedier and more efficient to achieve a goal by intention and planning.

This month, let’s focus on the Importance of any goals that you are contemplating. In order to succeed with a goal, it needs to be sufficiently important to you to want to make the effort it requires.

• Select a goal you are thinking of setting.
• Now ask yourself just how important that goal is to you. Is it something you passionately want to do, or something you or someone else thinks you should do?
• Finally, score the Importance, or value, of the goal to you between 1 and 10, 1 being “It really doesn’t matter to me at all” and10 being “It is of huge importance to me and my well-being or fulfillment”.
If you scored below a 6, research supports the idea that you are less likely to achieve that goal, unless it is very short-term. Your resistance to change or doing the necessary work is likely to be high.

What can you do if you gave the goal a low Importance score?
The first step is to re-examine your motivation and ambivalence regarding the goal.

• Ask yourself what would need to change for the goal to become more important to you?
• What are the pros and cons of your goal? What do you gain? What do you give up?
If, on balance, you are not convinced of its value, it is probably an indicator to shelve the goal for now and put your energies into something of higher value and importance to you.

Next month, I will write about the significance of Readiness in making change or striving for a goal.

4. In each issue of Roots and Wings, I will review A Book of The Month that I am most enjoying.

The Book that captured my attention this month is:

“Wishcraft: How to get what you really want”  by Barbara Sher.

The premise of this book is that we can identify what we truly desire and we can achieve it. The author provides examples, tools, exercises and a compelling nuts-and-bolts approach to fulfilling even “impossible” dreams. Her plainspoken been-there-done-that writing style is engaging and the questions she asks are both provocative and valuable. Only once the Success Planning is well under way, does she permit you to visit what she terms your Problem List. Here’s where she becomes the truth-teller…..about how we love to complain, how what holds us back is our fear and how there is power in Negative-Thinking. She teaches brainstorming, goal setting, how to search for your own style, and creative barn-raising. It is a fun, thoughtful, inspiring read and a marvelous introduction to the power of process, in response to the challenge of deciding to get what you really want.

Have an enjoyable month!

Philippa Kennealy MD MPH
The Vision Realization Process ™
President, Oya Consulting

Dr. Philippa Kennealy is an Executive and Personal Coach, dedicated to your professional and personal success and fulfillment. To schedule an initial FR*EE consultation, to learn more, or to inquire about having her speak to your group or organization, contact her at:
pkennealy@oyaconsulting.com or click here.

SHARE THE WEALTH

If you enjoy this newsletter and want others to benefit, please forward this copy to family, friends or colleagues. I truly appreciate your loyalty and interest.

To SUBSCRIBE or To CANCEL or CHANGE your subscription or mailing address:

back to top