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Lights On!
The "Illuminator"
August, 2010 - Vol 10, Issue 3
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Lights On! is all about Path-finding! It is about helping individuals find the personal and professional paths each has been seeking. It is also about teams, groups and organizations working together with clarity, coherence and respect. Lights On!...Especially for Women: Coaching, Consulting, Facilitation, Presentations, Retreats.

Claire Pic Niagara Falls
There's a move that our group does in our Tai Chi exercise class that's called "Willow bends in Wind". This exercise requires that our bodies be configured like willow trees bent by the force of the wind. Each time we do this posture I'm always glad to become righted again. It is good to be standing tall and centered, knowing that the force of the imagined wind on my temporary willow-like-body is unable to pluck my roots from the ground. Though I'm bent by the gale-force wind, I'm deeply rooted; I'm anchored.

In my consulting work with groups and with individuals whom I coach, I look for the basic "principles" to which they hold firm; the principles on which they live their lives, do their work, and interact/behave with others. I've found that when a person is not rooted in principles, then she is easily "blown away by fickle winds". She cannot stand firm. She is like the willow that succumbs to the wind; she has no anchor, no grounding. She is literally, blowing in the wind.


With groups, it is easy to recognize when there is no clear understanding of who they all are together, what they need to accomplish together, and how they are going to commit to be together in order to be successful for the long run. Without principled grounding, groups waver; they can become rudderless, unsteady in the winds of change. They bounce from one thing to another, lose focus and lose their sense of coherence. Interpersonal behaviors can go negative.

Individuals and groups/organizations play out the "Willow bends in Wind" exercise on a daily basis. Individuals and groups/organizations need clarity around their principled anchors. They want to be deeply rooted---to know who they are, on what they stand firm, aware of the rules that bind them, and have clarity on the direction in which they are going.


When a person or a group/organization is really clear on their intentions---that is, what it is they are trying to do, and clearly know why they are trying to accomplish same, and have committed to the principles by which they need to live and the ground-rules by which they will behave to carry out those intentions---then, they are anchored; they've committed to guiding principles; they become deeply rooted.

Here's to you and your "Willow bends in Wind" posture. May you (and the groups/organizations in which you work or to which you belong) remain deeply rooted and be very clear about the principles on which you stand. Lights On!
We've all had those times of "feeling blue". There are those times when we say we are "feeling a bit drab." So it is no surprise that a recent psychological study indicates a significant correlation between biology and mood. The study measured retinal contrast (in the eyes) and noted differences when comparing persons who were clinically depressed with a control group of persons who were not. So while we each see the world with our own eyes, how colorful or colorless a person sees the world has a connection to our physical and emotional wellbeing. [Recognize that I am not a psychologist and I'm not qualified to write about long-term or intermittent clinical depression here. The "points of feeling blue" that I'm writing about are those that most women experience now and then---the blue mood times.] The blue-mood times are when we just seem to need a little boost of optimism.

So how is your world looking today? Is today a day where you are in the vibrant mood---the one of "color me beautiful?" How illuminated are you today?


How do you lift your spirits when you feel a bit drab? I try to talk myself into a good mood. Mind over matter. Change my thoughts and I can change my world. Think positive. Find something really exciting on which to focus. Be grateful. Sometimes I interrogate myself; I ask what is it that is behind this feeling? What is the root cause? And I keep asking that question until I can peg it. Once I name it, I can address it. Sometimes I go for a long walk. Physical exercise helps; so does fresh air and deep abdominal breathing. Each is uplifting in itself.

But the fastest way for me to lift up my spirits is with chocolate! Chocolate is a wonderful mood booster. Supposedly, chocolate stimulates the brain's dopamine production. Dopamine is important for diminishing pain sensations, enhancing pleasurable ones, and creating a sense of overall well-being. So there you have it! Chocolate helps to create a sense of well-being. And when we possess a sense of well-being, we see the world in its full color spectrum. We even become vibrantly animated!

Think about this. If I have a continual craving for chocolate, does that mean that I also have a continual desire for well-being? For happy moods? You bet. I'm addicted to life! Welcome to my colorful, chocolate-loving world. Lights On!
* Lights On! website has been revised. Check out the video-clip excerpts of a focused Lights On! workshop. Newsletters are now archived too.

* Claire Knowles is now a feature writer for Western New York Women . com (www.wnywomen.com). Please check out the featured articles. Just click on Quick Links on the left margin of this newsletter. There are some new articles for you!

* Interested in a Lights On! brochure? Email contact and mailing information. Thanks!

* Please check out Martha Johnson's new book, "Why Not Do What You Love?" (see quick links in left margin of this newsletter). It is an invitation to calling and contribution in a world hungry for your gifts. This book is awaiting you and your introspective answer.

At times our own light goes out and we are renewed by a spark from another.

Here's to turning your lights on!
Claire Knowles
Lights On! and Lights On! Workshop

email: info@lightsonworkshop.com info@lightsonworkshop.com
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