I love a notebook.

I know it’s considered a bit old-fashioned by some, but I love to put pen to paper and I like having the freedom to mind-map, draw diagrams or doodle.

I keep separate notebooks for different purposes.  Regular meetings each have their own notebook.  Major projects too.  I have an in-tray full of notebooks.

And every new coaching client I take on gets a lovely new notebook in which to record their notes from our sessions.  I’m a fan of Moleskin, Forex and the one in the photo is from MOO, the online printers.  It’s a lovely hardback notebook stitched in a way that every page lies flat.

Yes, part of the reason for the notebooks is just that I enjoy writing and I have a fountain pen that I particularly like to use.

Also…

Research indicates that writing by hand, as opposed to using a keyboard, enhances learning and memory. The study suggests that brain connectivity patterns during handwriting are more elaborate and crucial for memory formation and encoding new information.

You can read the research here:

https://www.psychiatrist.com/news/handwriting-shows-unexpected-benefits-over-typing/

I’ve been immersed in Shakespeare again.  A performance of ‘The Merry Wives of Windsor’ at the weekend and then a surprise trip to the McCready theatre in Rugby to see an Audience with Sir Gregory Doran, former Artistic Director of the Royal Shakespeare Company and one my all time favourite directors.

He talked about – among many other topics – how some people go to see a play for the quotes.  In other words, the lines they recognise.

Reflecting on this, I began to wonder whether we sometimes lose the meaning or profundity of a line simply because it is so familiar.

The line above, ‘Fortune is merry – and in this mood will grant us anything’ is one I like because it carries with it (for me) such a joyful feeling.

Have you ever felt as though you can have anything you want?  That’s what this line is about.  In times past, people ascribed their moods, behaviour and results to outside forces – or Gods.

We know better than to do that, but we can still experience that joyful feeling when everything and anything feels possible.  Try saying the line out loud and notice how you feel…

Last week I had a lovely holiday in Tuscany.  We hired a car and drove around some of the places you can only reach by car – and often the final stage is only on foot.

This photo was taken in San Gimignano, famous for it’s medieval ‘sky-scrapers’.  They’re hard to photograph on a phone. which is why I’m sharing this picture instead.

One of the interesting challenges of the week was driving a left-hand drive car on the opposite side of the road from the one we drive on in the UK.  I have done it before but it’s something that needs a greater level of concentration and mental energy.

I also know that the greatest risk often comes at the point of starting to feel comfortable and confident.  This is when the ‘autopilot’ can take over and there’s a danger of driving on the wrong side of the road without realising it.

A long time ago, someone gave me a great piece of advice:  as driver, you’re in the middle of the road not the edge.

When negotiating a junction, it’s a really useful check point.  Am I in the centre of the road?

What also helped enormously was the ‘co-pilot’ dialogue my friend and I developed.  Having another pair of eyes on the sat-nav and the road really helped me.

 

We know that doing an unfamiliar task or doing a familiar task in a new way engages the brain in a totally different way.  It puts us in a learning frame of mind as opposed to the ‘autopilot’ mode and it opens up the opportunity to make new mental connections.

At times, I felt as though my brain was fizzing!

Having said that, I found the whole experience quite stimulating and enjoyable.  I’ve come back home thinking that it’s something we could build into life quite easily…

For example, try brushing your teeth with the opposite hand.  Have a go at using your non-preferred hand for household tasks like washing up, dusting or vacuuming.

Put your phone in the opposite hand…

There are lots of possibilities.  I’d love to hear your ideas and experiences.

Something intriguing showed up on my Facebook feed this week (originally posted by Sophie Fox and shared by one of my connections).

I didn’t have a religious upbringing but like all school children in the UK at that time I learned the Lord’s Prayer.  Or at least, I thought I did…

According to Sophie, the meaning of the prayer may have been lost in translation.

Here’s her original post:

The Lord’s Prayer…translated from Aramaic directly into English. Rather than from Aramaic to Greek to Latin to English (which most of us are used to from the King James version:

 

O cosmic Birther of all radiance and vibration, soften the ground of our being and carve out a space within us where your Presence can abide.

Fill us with your creativity so that we may be empowered to bear the fruit of your mission.

Let each of our actions bear fruit in accordance with our desire.

Endow us with the wisdom to produce and share what each being needs to grow and flourish.

Untie the tangled threads of destiny that bind us, as we release others from the entanglement of past mistakes.

Do not let us be seduced by that which would divert us from our true purpose, but illuminate the opportunities of the present moment.

For you are the ground and the fruitful vision, the birth, power, and fulfillment, as all is gathered and made whole once again.

And So It Is!

Any translation from one language into another is a matter of understanding and opinion, so I believe that the original meaning of the Lord’s Prayer could easily have been distorted through multiple translations. I don’t speak any of the languages concerned well enough to translate something as complex as this but I’d love to hear from anyone with a good grasp of Aramaic.

In the meantime, let’s enjoy the lovely words of this alternative version.

(And if you’re wondering about the photo, I took it outside St Peter’s in Rome one Sunday morning.  Just after the Pope gave his blessing, lots of people released balloons.  It’s one of my favourite photos and this is probably the only excuse I’ll ever have to share it with you)

I attended a networking meeting this week and the speaker – talking about resilience and remote working used this quote from Maya Angelou.

It resonated for me with the NLP idea of ‘being at cause’.  If you’re not familiar with that, it comes from the relationship of cause and effect.  When someone has a problem, they are often experiencing the ‘effect’ end of the equation…

“someone has let me down”

“the system is stopping me doing that”

“the weather’s getting in the way”

“my boss isn’t supporting me” 

and so on.

These are all uncomfortable experiences and they’re made worse by the sense that someone or something else holds the control in the situation.

The mental discipline of ‘being at cause’ is to focus on the choices that ARE available instead of the ones that are blocked.

“one person has let me down so I’m looking for someone else”

“the system is stopping me doing that, I wonder if there’s another way”

“the weather’s getting in the way today, so maybe we’ll do it tomorrow”

“my boss isn’t supporting me, I haven’t made the case compelling enough yet”

The benefit of this way of thinking is that it puts you back in control.  You have choices.  You can make decisions.  You are in charge of your own experience.

Who doesn’t want that?