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Breakthrough
"Productive insight; clear (often sudden) understanding of a complex situation."  Free Dictionary

Pop the bubble of conditioned thinking and emerge into the creative realm of "no absolutes," continuous change, uncertainty and unlimited possibilities.

Then, there can be innovation, adaptation and optimal performance.
Performance and Open-minded Mindfulness
Open-minded:questioning everything, accepting diversity and uncertainty.  

Mindful: consciously aware; concentrated. 

Foundation for blending process, project, engagement and knowledge management into a cohesive approach to optimize performance.

Breakthrough
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VOLUME VIII ISSUE NO. 6 | JUNE 2016 
Liberate Your Mind
By George Pitagorsky
Liberate your mind to avoid the confusion that comes with trying to make sense of this complex world in which we live.
  
When I reflect on it, it becomes clear that life is a mosaic of themes - personal, work, family, social, spiritual, economic, and political. Though, unlike a mosaic, the lines between the themes are not firm, the themes blend together as in a symphony or abstract painting.
 
Themes overlap and influence one another, for example for some people, the spiritual theme occurs in and around the others; economics and politics are tightly coupled; politics and religious beliefs may impact social and family relationships. 
 
As in a symphony, the result may be beautiful or not. The themes may be in conflict with one another. The lines between them may be either too weak or too strong. They may be (or seem to be) perfectly aligned with one another.
 
It takes a liberated mind to fully experience it all without becoming confused and lost in the details or to miss the details while focusing on the big picture.
 
Liberate the Mind
Liberated mind? Such a huge philosophical cliché. There are many names for it - Illuminated Mind, clarity, wisdom mind. Even God, to some, may refer to this liberated mind.
 
What does it mean to have a liberated mind? It means being aware of your conditioning so that instead of being reactive you can choose what to think, say and do. The liberated mind is free from unnecessary suffering and able to function in the world under any circumstances. The liberated mind knows that you are limited, the result of thinking, memory, biology, and experiences and are subject to change.
 
It is easy to get lost in any of the life themes and lose perspective. You might experience anxiety about how to balance themes like career and family or politics and economics. Inner conflict makes you feel bad, particularly when there is no immediate resolution or there is attachment to an alternative. You experience fear, anger, or any of the many negative emotions. You reactively think, say or do something that is more about soothing or hiding the bad feelings than resolving the conflict. 
 
Step Back
Can you accept what is happening? Can you see the big picture?
 
When you accept the fact of what is, in the context of the big picture, you see that everything else is opinion based on memory and interpretive thinking. Then you can choose to change the dynamic.
                         
See the big picture objectively; witness it. This liberates the mind from being driven by programmed reactive thought. Nonreactive thought leads to behavior that suits the needs of the situation and fulfills your intentions and expectations.
 
Stepping Further Back
What happens when you continue to step back to observe things as they are - to be aware of any thinking, feeling, sensing and consciousness that might occur until there is observing without an observer? Will you still be able to be you; to do the things you do, to experience pleasure, to love and serve, to be spontaneous?
 
Only you can answer those questions. You can listen to teachers or read books or poems about it. That can give you an idea and maybe motivate you to see for yourself. However, you must see for yourself - have the personal experience - if you are to go beyond thinking about things to being present with them and aware.
 
Motivation
Why bother, you might be thinking. Is it some self-centered mental game? What purpose does it serve? The answer depends on your intention. 
 
Whether your intention is to be better at what you choose to do - your job, art or relationship - or nirvana, you will be able to identify barriers and opportunities to improve. No matter what your intentions, liberated mind frees you from the reactive behavior that gets in the way of achieving them.
 
Liberated mind is not self-centered. It is entirely aware that we are basically all alike and sharing in a common experience, aware that any act anywhere effects the whole. Liberated mind is compassion and acts skillfully to give rise to great happiness and peace.
 
Begin to understand how things are - read, listen, analyze, question and observe. Set your intention - what do you want to accomplish and why? Observe, mindfully aware of the arising of thoughts, feelings, physical sensations, and mental concepts - anything that can be observed, including your own consciousness. Open your heart. Continue.
                                   
© 2016 George Pitagorsky                                                 Top
Performance and Open-minded Mindfulness

Open-minded: 

questioning everything, accepting diversity and uncertainty.  
 
Mindful:
 consciously aware; concentrated. 

Foundation for blending process, project, engagement and knowledge management into a cohesive approach to optimize performance.

 Learn More
Managing Conflict in Projects
By George Pitagorsky
Managing Conflict in Projects: Applying Mindfulness and Analysis for Optimal Results by George Pitagorsky charts a course for identifying and dealing with conflict in a project context.

Pitagorsky states up front that conflict management is not a cookbook solution to disagreement-a set of prescribed actions to be applied in all situations. His overall approach seeks to balance two aspects of conflict management: analysis based on a codified process and people-centered behavioral skills.

The book differentiates conflict resolution and conflict management. Management goes beyond resolution to include relationship building that may serve to avoid conflict or facilitate resolution if it occurs.

 

Read More
The Zen Approach to Project Management 
By George Pitagorsky

Projects are often more complex and stressful than they need to be. Far too many of them fail to meet expectations. There are far too many conflicts. There are too few moments of joy and too much anxiety. But there is hope. It is possible to remove the unnecessary stress and complexity. This book is about how to do just that. It links the essential principles and techniques of managing projects to a "wisdom" approach for working with complex, people-based activities.
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